The Lost Master
by Iama2p
Summary: Seven years after Ashs defeat in Sinnoh, the Champion Cynthia is ruthlessly crushed in a battle for the title of Pokémon Master. The new Champion refuses to release his name to the press, but his cold attitude soon shocks the Pokémon world as he begins to rebuild the Pokémon League.
1. Chapter 1

The crowd roared, but the woman could only gasp in shock. Smoke covered the battlefield, but she knew what had happened at its centre.

"Garchomp!" called Cynthia. "Garchomp, are you ok?"

As the smoke began to clear she could see her partner on the ground, clearly out cold. She fell to her knees in utter shock, looking at the man across the field as he recalled his Pokémon without a word. She had **lost.**

* * *

People were leaving the stadium discussing only one thing. Cynthia, the Pokémon Master had been beaten. And not just beaten, but thrashed. Totally and ruthlessly crushed. Her opponent had used only one Pokémon. A Pokémon of raw power, that had been the only one that he had used as he destroyed trainer after trainer on his way to challenge Cynthia. Cynthia was crowned Pokémon master 3 years previously and looked set to dominate the Pokémon leadership for a decade. Nobody had ever suspected that she would be humbled in such a fashion. And the worst part of it all for her? She had absolutely no idea who her successor was.

The man stepped out of the door onto the street. He was tall, with black hair that wasn't long, but unruly. It was clear just by looking at him that he was not the kind of person to meet in a dark ally, with an imposing physique and the aura he seemed to exude. He wore black, boots, trousers and a shirt, with a jacket over the top. 6 Pokéballs were visible on a belt at his waist, and his face was covered by a hat which cast a slant hiding one of his eyes. In front of him was a ring of reporters and news crews, desperate for something from the new Pokémon Master. The man didn't say a word, he just strode through the middle, ignoring every question thrown at him.

"Sir, Sir, can you at least tell us your name!" called a desperate reporter, reaching for the figure as it passed him. As his hand touched the man's shoulder, those watching gasped in shock as the reporter was thrown backwards by an invisible force. He hit the street, and watched as the man kept walking without even breaking his stride. The reporters looked at each other in something close to awe. The new Master was not a man to anger it seemed.

* * *

The man reached a black vehicle with tinted windows and the door opened by itself. He got in and the vehicle moved off. He felt nothing. He ran back through his battle, highlighting errors and working on improving them. He felt satisfied with his success, nothing more and nothing less. He felt his victory was no less than he deserved. As his car reached a tall set of imposing black gates, the gates opened, and the car drove onto a ramp which took it up to a bridge. The car traveled along the bridge for nearly 4 miles, heading out to sea until it reached an island. It drove off the end of the bridge, and through the forest until it stopped at the entrance to a large house. The door opened and the man stepped out, going to the door of the house which opened by itself. He strode through the house, and out the back and for the first time that day a smile graced the features of Ash Ketchum as he looked over his Pokémon.

There was not as many as might be expected from the new Pokémon Master. In addition to the 6 at his waist which he released, there was only 8 others. As he released the 6 Pokémon he was carrying into the gardens he felt a head push against his hand and a soothing aroma come from his other side. Two of his Pokémon had come up to him, and he looked at each of them before turning and going back inside.

Meganium and Espeon looked at each other. A silent conversation passed between the two and they followed him into his house. They found Ash cooking food for the Pokémon so Espeon curled up on a chair where she could watch from, and Meganium leaned against a side. As Ash completed his task he walked out of the house with 15 bowls following him. Each bowl was a different color according to the Pokémon whose food it contained. Each bowl set itself down near the Pokémon it was for, except for the 15th which set itself down in an area which was a short distance away from the rest of the Pokémon. This area had a small sleeping bag as well as a bottle of ketchup. Espeon watching from her own food mewed at her master who looked round at her. Ash watched his Pokémon with a certain degree of satisfaction. Although he hadn't used to be able to cook, he was now more than capable and could cook food that rivaled the best in terms of nutritious value to his Pokémon. Ash knew that the Pokémon with him were all he had; they fought for him, and him alone. He had proved his loyalty to each of them more times than any of them cared to count, and they had responded in kind.

Once they had all finished eating they formed up in front of Ash. As soon as the last one reached him, Ash turned and started running. His Pokémon all kept up with few problems, as he had set off at a relatively slow pace. However, every minute the pace picked up until they were running faster than should have been possible for a human to sustain. After they had covered 20 miles in this fashion, achieving it in an hour, a staggering feat for a normal human but normal for this team, they had returned to the house. The team then headed for an area away from the house which turned out to be a gym. Each went to their allotted place, and began a workout regime. It took another hour for Ash to leave the weights he was using and turn to his Pokémon. He stated only one word.

"Pairs." Ash then turned away again and went to a spot just outside his house where he began to meditate whilst the Pokémon immediately paired up and began to battle. Every so often he was call to one of his Pokémon, giving them advice on how to improve. Eventually, their training regimen was over, and his Pokémon returned to their areas to rest. Ash walked into his house and sat on a sofa, but heard padding behind him. Espeon had followed him in, and mewing softly she jumped up next to him, curling up. Relaxed as she looked, her mind was busy, reaching out to her master to talk to him, mewing softly at him when she felt his mind connect.

Espeon didn't think anything along the connection, and at first neither did Ash. Then he allowed his thoughts to flow. Espeon sat there, accepting them, and not commenting. She felt his satisfaction at his achievement but also his regrets. More than anything, they both knew that this day was incomplete without his first Pokémon, his starter. Pikachus absence weighed on Ash and by extension his team. Even those who had never met the electric mouse had heard about him from those who had, and they all wished he had been there. However, none of them knew the truth about his absence. None except the Sun Pokémon curled up next to Ash. She had been the only one that Ash had confided in, in the aftermath of the event, before Ash began to turn truly cold. His compassion for his Pokémon never diminished, but towards the rest of the world he became cold. To his friends... They didn't even know he was alive. He hadn't contacted any of them for 7 year; he hadn't wanted to. After his defeat in Sinnoh he had left to train. Alone. As time passed, some of his Pokémon rebelled against his new mentality; they missed their more care-free life, and their care-free master. And whilst he still cared for them, both him and his Pokémon knew that the life he was now leading was not for everybody. They parted without anger, more the departure of friends. They returned to the wild, although many visited at times. In Ash's view this was the perfect outcome if they didn't want to stay. However, that view changed when Pikachu left.

The Pokémon that wanted to leave had all done it very early in the training when they realized what their life was going to be like. It took 4 months for Pikachu to realize what he wanted, and he came to Ash. The rodent knew that he could be stronger than ever if he trained but he didn't want to watch Ash lose himself. So he left, and in the aftermath Ash confronted his Pokémon, telling them that this was their last chance to leave if they didn't want to train with him anymore. There was an edge to his voice when speaking, and many of his Pokémon agreed that departure was their best option. Left with a mere 4 Pokémon, Ash spent the years rebuilding his team, and training them. He then returned to society and entered the World League, without giving his name. He had risen straight through the tournament and finally crushed Cynthia in the final. His victory granted him the rank of Pokémon Master, the title that he had long dreamed would be his. Finally it was.

* * *

The next day Ash returned to the stadium where he met with the Mr Goodshow. When asked what his name was, Ash merely stared. Having realized that if he persisted, little good was going to come of it, Mr Goodshow proposed a compromise, where Ash's name wouldn't be public, but it needed to be known by the organizer of the Pokémon League. Ash's response was to slide a red box over the table. It opened and announced that it was the Pokédex of Ash Satoshi Ketchum. Ash then picked it up, took a folder which contained the information that he would need, and then strode out of the room, leaving a shocked Mr Goodshow to watch the door swing shut behind him.

At a later press announcement, it was announced that the new Pokémon Master "Did not wish to be named, and so would simply be called 'the Champion'. He would not conduct interviews, but would be available to battle for the traditional month after the change of Champion, which would begin immediately after his coronation which was set for 3 days time." Understandably the media was unimpressed at the lack of information, but accepted it as what to expect with the mysterious man at the front of the Pokémon League. This was a reaction mirrored across the world as people watched, but were disappointed with what they received.

"That's ridiculous! How can he give nothing at all to them!"

"Max, calm down"

"He's meant to be the face of the league, how can he"

"MAX, SHUT UP"

Gary Oak had had just about enough of Max's complaining. The younger trainer had been whining about the lack of information from 'The Champion', his new idol. Whilst he had received his training license some years previously, Max still idolised strong trainers, and anybody who could win any tournament with a single Pokémon, let alone the world championship was worth idolising. However, that didn't give the youngster an excuse to keep on complaining.

"Though I wouldn't mind being taught by him, how do you think he got his Pokémon so strong?"

Brock chuckled as Gary looked at the ceiling, begging for the younger trainer to just shut up. They were sat in Professor Oak's laboratory, watching the announcement of the new Master having all reunited there, like they had every year. Every year since the boy who joined them all together vanished. They met each year on the anniversary of the day that Pikachu reached Pallet Town, and was taken in by Delia Ketchum. Not a single one of Ash's other Pokémon ever returned, and Pallet Town's favorite son vanished off the radar. Now every year his friends all came and remembered him. It was the second year that Tracey pointed out that the World League came around the same time, and they all met to watch it. Gary had joined on the third year and whilst Misty had complained that Gary had never been a friend of Ashs, Gary pointed out that he had known Ash for far longer than Misty, and had been the one who kept Pikachu in shape training with him whenever he was in Pallet. As the years went on, they kept on coming back, and they began to enjoy the time together. It was now the third year that Drew had accompanied May to the reunion, as he had since they had started dating. Dawn had remained single and was considered to be the best coordinator around. May and Drew had competed for some years, but they had both slowly fallen away from Contests, and more into just raising Pokémon. Misty had until recently remained as the Cerulean Gym leader, but after becoming one of the most fearsome water Pokémon trainers around, she had preparing for a journey to qualify for the World League. Although she could have competed this year, she had wanted to train more, so had returned to the Gym, although not taking it back over. Brock had become a Pokémon Doctor and Tracey had become a researcher in his own right though he stayed as an assistant, sometimes aiding Professor Oak, sometimes aiding Gary. Max was determined to be a trainer as strong as whoever his latest idol was, although whenever he was asked why he drove himself so hard he responded simply: "Ash did". Professor Oak enjoyed the reunion every year, since he got to see any new Pokémon that any of them had captured whilst Delia Ketchum was always saying how happy she was to look after Ashs family whilst she waited for him to come home.

The final two people at the re-union were the ex-members of Team Rocket, Jessie and James, along with Meowth. They had tried to capture Pikachu two weeks after he returned to Pallet, but instead of fighting them, Pikachu had simply ignored them. Even after leaving Ash, Pikachu's strength was staggering and he had utterly destroyed the Pokémon sent against him. Since he didn't send them blasting off, they had asked what was wrong and, through Meowth, Pikachu explained that he felt his trainer was dead. Meowth had wanted to help a fellow Pokémon through such a loss, remembering when he was rejected by Meowzie, and Jessie and James agreed. They quit Team Rocket, and James began to train as a proper trainer whilst Jessie focused on fashion although she still travelled with James. Pikachu had accompanied him for a year, and at the end of it they were accepted at the reunion. It was James who finally spoke up, in order to quieten Max before Gary acted on his contemplated murder.

"Professor Oak, who do you think it could be, to be so strong? I mean, how can somebody appear from nowhere that strong?"

Max instantly shut up and spun around to stare at the Professor, who glared at James.

"I honestly have no idea who it might be James, although I would be very interested in studying his Pokémon, I have never seen power which is even close to that"

"But Professor..." Max started,

"Max, for the love of Arceus, shut up!" Gary, Brock and Dawn shouted.

The youngster was stunned into silence. Until, 5 seconds later... "But he must of come from somewhere!"

James stood up. "Max, I know your excited, but honestly, we are all getting irritated with your talk about the Champion. Please can you take a break for a bit, perhaps do some training?"

Max was about to respond when he heard a call from Delia "Dinner's ready!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the inauguration of the Pokémon Master. In keeping with the traditions, the new Master, known only as 'The Champion' will accept a fight against any trainer that wishes to test themselves against him, for the first month of his reign. However, with his already stated intention to avoid the media, it is unknown if 'the Champion' intends to make an inaugural address after he is crowned"

The stadium was completely packed, this was an event that nobody wished to miss, the inauguration of a new Pokémon Master. Every Gym Leader and Elite Four member from Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, Hoenn and Unova were present, as were many of the famous researchers from around the regions. Professor Oak had been invited and had gone, but the rest of the gang were left behind, sat around the TV at the Ketchum residence watching the event. As usual, Max was ranting about his new idol although he had finally shut up when the TV commentator began to speak.

In the middle of the stadium, Mr Goodshow was just standing up, and gesturing for quiet throughout the stadium. As the crowd finally began to settle down and listen, Mr Goodshow pulled out a microphone and began to speak.

"Welcome to all of you! We are here to confirm the appointment of a new Pokémon Master, after he won the title from his predecessor, Cynthia. And now, Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome for the final time as Pokémon Master, the beautiful, Miss Cynthia Shirona!"

Applause erupted around the stadium, with the Sinnoh-native being given a standing ovation. Whilst she was well-known for her prowess in battle, Cynthia had become popular for her down to earth nature, and her willingness to help upcoming trainers. Many in the Pokémon world would miss her reign at the top, which had been far shorter than anybody had ever anticipated. As she reached Mr Goodshow, she took the microphone, and turning to face the crowd, she waited for silence.

"Thank you." Her voice, level, refusing to let any weakness show. "I am honored to have my departure treated in such a way. Throughout my reign as Master, I tried to keep the League strong. Three years ago, I promised you that I would aid the leaders across regions as well as any upcoming trainer. In that time, I would like to think I have honored my promises. Now, as my reign comes to an end, I retire in the knowledge that I did my best. Thank you for your support through the years, support that I hope you will extend to my successor."

Cheers and applause rang out once again as Cynthia turned to Mr Goodshow who had managed to find another microphone from somewhere, and his voice rang out across the stadium.

"It is now my pleasure to introduce a man who went through the entire tournament known only as 'the Trainer'. When he first arrived, he refused to give his name, merely displaying the badges from all 4 regions, and requesting to enter the tournament. Now, at its end, he has emerged as not only the champion, but as one of the most powerful battlers I have ever seen fight. He has truly earned his rank, and the name he has been given reflects his ability. So, please put your hands together for legend among trainers, it's the new Pokémon Master, 'the Champion'!

Ash strode out into the stadium. He was dressed in his usual black, his hat covering his face once again. He didn't acknowledge the crowd, but merely reached the center, rejecting the offer of a microphone. He knew that the crowd didn't love him like they loved Cynthia, yet they made nearly as much noise for him. As he turned to face the women he had defeated, the crowd began to die down again, allowing her voice to be heard cracking slightly with emotion as the day she thought would never come was upon her.

"Champion, having defeated me, accept my title as Pokémon Master, and promise to lead the Pokémon League to the best of your ability, until you are incapable of the role. Judge fairly, lead wisely and uphold the values on which the League was founded."

Without any emotion, his voice completely neutral even as it was amplified around the stadium, Ash responded as expected of him. "I accept both the title, and the challenge." Nobody had heard him talk normally, during his battles, he had rarely spoken, giving only a single command at any point. Cynthia then turned and walked up to a platform in the stadium where she picked up an emblem and handed it to Ash who had followed her. The emblem represented the Pokémon Master, and was a solid gold badge, with a different part of it devoted to each type, a lightning bolt for electricity, a flame for fire and so on. With the passing of the emblem, Cynthia passed over her title, her rank, her whole life. All this Ash accepted without any emotion or even words. Cynthia then stepped down, and joined Mr Goodshow at the foot of the platform. They turned expectantly to the Champion as he looked towards the stadium.

Ash looked out with an even gaze. He had planned for this moment through the years, thinking of something to say. He knew his inaugural address was expected to set the tone for his reign, and as a result he knew he had to be careful. His ideas could be considered radical. Whilst he might be considered cold, and cared for few beyond his Pokémon, he did still understand what other people expected. He realized he had paused for too long, and looked out into the silence once again. Clearing his throat, he began speaking, his voice being amplified across the stadium despite no visible microphone.

"Elites, Gym Leaders, Researchers, Trainers. Anybody with an interest in Pokémon. I stand before you as your new Champion. I expect that all of you have questions for me that you would like to ask. So I feel that I should clarify somethings first. As has already been made clear, I shall never give interviews to the media. Equally my name shall not be revealed. Mr Goodshow has agreed to oblige me in this. With respect to..."

"This guy is intense" muttered Gary. "I don't even know where to start in analyzing him."

The gang was still sat around the TV, unable to look away. 'The Champion' was working his way through how he would work as Champion. It became clear that underneath his cool exterior, there was a fearsome intelligence driving the Champion. However, what they were waiting for, was his plans for the Pokémon League.

"Now, my plans for the League itself. During her reign, Cynthia tried to make sure that the gym leaders across the regions would be able to maintain the high standard expected. This I agree with. However, Cynthia also believed that she should devote a considerable amount of her time to teaching young trainers. I disagree. I plan to ensure that there is a structure in place that means that any young trainer can become great by working with the Gym Leaders. As such, I shall be carefully watching the gyms, and ensuring that they are not only up to the very high standard expected, but also doing their traditional role; teaching trainers. At the founding of the Pokémon League, gyms took in a large number of trainers and taught them. It required gym leaders to be far more versatile than just battlers. I will make sure that this is true once again, and any leader who is unable to complete the tasks required of them _will be replaced_, either in training new trainers or in their abilities to defend their badge. It is possible that you will think I am being harsh. To you I say, I intend to uphold all the traditions of the League, and this is merely the first. However, when the League was first founded, the Pokémon Master did train a select few. The strongest trainers around that do not necessarily wish to be part of an Elite Four, would expect to be allowed to demonstrate to the Master what they could do, and if they were deemed good enough, they would be trained. This, I shall do. So, in an appeal to the strongest trainers out there. If you believe you are good enough, perhaps the best in your chosen type, or you believe you are a fearsome enough trainer, then come. Show me you are worthy, and I shall accept you as a student. Thank you, and once again I shall strive to fulfill everything I have promised, and to give you a league you can truly be proud of."

* * *

Silence reigned in the Ketchum house. None of them believed what they were hearing. Did he honestly plan to fire gym leaders? There hadn't been a gym leader actually fired for more than 30 years! To think that people they knew could soon be removed was shocking. However, as the final part of his speech sunk in, Misty suddenly gasped. She knew she was a good trainer. She knew she could be considered perhaps the strongest Water Pokémon trainer around, having won the Whirl Cup the previous year. And the Pokémon Master had just announced that the strongest trainers would have a chance to prove what they could do, and then train under him. This was an opportunity that she could not pass up if she wanted to fulfill her dream. She then realized that the others were still discussing the speech.

"Uh guys..." Misty started. Then stopped when they all turned to look at her. "Err... I think..."

Tracey smiled. "You think you should try to get him to train you, don't you Misty?"

"How did you..."

"Misty, I'm dating your sister. She knows how desperately you want to become a Water-Pokémon Master, and you phased out as soon as he said that he'd train the strongest trainers. It wasn't hard for a Watcher."

"Misty, are you sure about this?" Brock asked. "I mean, how do you show that you are one of the strongest? I know your good, and I know you've improved massively from when you started, but a lot of great trainers are out there. How do you prove you're the best?"

And there was the stumbling block. Nobody was sure how to persuade somebody with the power of 'The Champion' that they were worth training. Max suggested telling him that she had won the Whirl Cup, but as Gary pointed out, so had a lot of people. That put you high, but not at the top. Her gym record spoke for itself, but again it wasn't enough to prove she was the best or even that close. She could potentially even get a recommendation from Professor Oak, or some of the other gym leaders, but it could easily be ignored. Then Drew started to laugh.

"Whats so funny?" snapped the Water trainer. "If you have an idea, spit it out."

Drew flicked her hair, and grinned. "Isn't it obvious? If you want to demonstrate how good you are, show him."

Even May looked a bit annoyed at this one, pushing his arm away from around her shoulders so she could twist and glare at her boyfriend. "Drew, that's what we are trying to work out, _how_ to show him."

"I know. But I meant literally show him. He has just been sworn in as Pokémon Master. For the next month, anybody who wishes to test themselves need only go to the Indigo Plateau and ask to fight him, and he _has to accept_. If you want to show him how good you are, fight him, and show him that way."

Misty gulped. This was, as Drew had pointed out, blindingly obvious. However, having watched him battle, she was terrified. Did she really want to fight the most powerful trainer in living memory? She had watched him battle Cynthia, and watched one Pokémon wipe the floor with her. Then Brock spoke again;

"Misty, I know you don't want to face him. But think, if you want to train with him, you cannot be scared. You have to be able to capable of facing him, and doing your best. You won't win, in fact, its unlikely that you will even knock out one of his Pokémon. But if you fight well, you might just do enough to make him think about training you. And whilst it will hurt to think about it, if Ash were here, what would he suggest you do?"

There was no counter to that argument. They all knew what their friend would have suggested. Try. Even rushing into it. Face it, rushing into things was Ashs specialty. He never thought anything through. However, Misty was still unsure, but May then spoke up. "Misty, you know you'll have our support. We'll be there cheering you on. You can do this."

Jessie then jumped in; "Face it twerp, if you've trained at all recently, you must be pretty good. You were always good enough to thrash us before. How hard can a battle be? Worst case: You lose. Badly. Like everybody else has, even the old Master. Anything over that is a plus."

Misty looked at her, but then felt a small tug against her leg. Looking down, she saw Pikachu looking up at her. She knelt, to pet him. "What do you think Pikachu? Should I do it?"

With a nod, the little mouse said "Pika. Pika chupi, pikachu"

Misty looked up, a determined smile on her face. "Fine. I'll try it. Tomorrow, we'll go to the Plateau, and find out how many people are battling him and how long till we can."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Gary took Misty outside to train. However, they both knew that whilst he still trained, his research meant that his Pokémon wouldn't stand a chance against hers. However, when she had pointed this out, Gary had laughed and said "Don't you think your being a bit arrogant? I was Ashy-boys rival after all!"

Facing each other across the field with a river to the side, Gary suggested a 1 on 1 battle, to test the strength of Misty's best. Misty knew what this meant. Gary would use his starter, his Blastoise. She knew its power, but also that she could beat it easily. Pulling a Pokéball off her belt, she threw it, calling "Misty calls Gyarados!"

The Atrocious Pokémon materialized in the river with a roar, dove under water and then drew itself up to its full height, glaring at Gary, who smirked.

"Misty, I believe you're going up against a powerful opponent? Well, I have nothing that could help you, aside from and old friend of yours. Whilst I doubt he is as strong as what you'll face, his typing should make things a little more challenging. Pikachu, would you do the honours?"

Misty looked askance at Gary as the little yellow mouse darted out into the field. Gary just shrugged.

"When Pikachu heard what you were planning, he wanted to help you train. He is probably the strongest electric type we have, and that is what your Pokémon will be weak against. Whilst the Champion probably won't bother with a type advantage, the strength of his Pokémon means that this should be good training for you. Now, shall we?"

"Gyarados, hydro pump!"

"Pikachu, dodge it, then use thunderbolt."

The giant serpent fired a huge torrent of water at the mouse who darted to the left, and retaliated with a bolt of electricity. The Atrocious Pokémon didn't wait for an instruction, but dived into the water letting the bolt fly over its head. Its tail then swung out and caught Pikachu, throwing him across the field. As the rodent skidded to a stop, Misty called "Flamethrower"

"Agility"

"Follow it"

Pikachu tried to avoid the torrent of fire, but it followed him, gaining ground.

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle away from it, and arc round towards Gyarados"

Pikachu was surrounded by electricity, and raced away from the flamethrower. He then doubled back, and threw himself at Gyarados, with the collision causing the serpent to roar in pain.

"Gyarados, catch it now, and use hyper beam."

Before Pikachu could get away, Gyarados' tail snaked around it. The mouse looked up to see the Pokémons head facing it, an orange beam forming in front.

"Pikachu, get away" shouted Gary, fearing for the Mouse Pokémon as it wouldn't be able to withstand the blast, but despite its writhing, Pikachu was unable to get free.

"Misty, I for…"

"PIKA-CHUUUUUUUUU"

As the hyper beam raced out at Pikachu, he released a huge lightning bolt at it which caused a massive explosion. The mouse was thrown across the field, where it lay, before wearily climbing to its feet, and facing the cloud of smoke. Suddenly, Gyarados threw itself out at Pikachu, a look of rage on its battered face. The effects of Pikachu's counter were clear, but the serpent was still able to fight. Pikachu was sent flying by the collision, but righted himself and landed on his feet. However, before he could attack again, Gary called out "Misty, enough. If this goes on, one of these two is going to get seriously hurt."

Pikachu looked back at Gary, who nodded, gesturing him to return. Misty held out her arm with a Pokéball. "Gyarados, return."

She looked up, to see Gary approaching her, Pikachu by his side.

"Impressive. Pikachu is one of the most powerful electric types I've seen, and your Gyarados held its own despite the double-type disadvantage. He may even have won…"

"Pika, pika chu!"

"Ok Pikachu, he might not have" Gary chuckled. However, admit it, he was strong." Seeing the rodent consider his statement, Gary turned back to Misty. "I know he is your strongest so the others won't be as powerful, but Gyarados was fearsome. He would outclass most of what I have. You have come on a long way, Ash would be proud."

Misty smiled. She had matured a lot over the seven years, no longer with such a fiery temperament, although she could still anger quickly. Her friends all knew how upset she had been when Ash had vanished, and even worse as time went on. She had focused that into her training, vowing to "Make him proud" and Gary was just seeing the results. She bent down and scratched Pikachu behind his ears making him coo, before looking up at Gary. "Thanks. I still hope I'm ready. He is going to be hard to fight. Can you ask Max if he made a recording of the battle against Cynthia? I want to see how he fought her Milotic. I'm going to head out for a bit, get some training in."

"Sure" Gary replied. "And Misty? Good luck" And with a small smile, he turned back to the Ketchum residence.

* * *

Misty walked down the river, finding a spot where she could dip her feet in. She sat there, and threw her Pokéballs out, allowing her entire team to appear in front of her. She watched them as they settled down in the river, close enough to hear her speak without her having to raise her voice.

"Today, a new Pokémon Master was sworn in. He has promised to personally train the best trainers around. I feel that we should make ourselves fit into that category. Therefore, tomorrow we shall be heading to the Indigo Plateau to show to him what we are made of. However, it will be brutal. He is the most powerful trainer in the world, and we shall have to fight him. Since you are the ones who will be taking the battering, please, tell me now if you don't want this."

Her team watched her, in silence. Almost pitying in their looks, like she didn't understand something. Misty looked at Gyarados. "Gyarados, it was a fearsome battle you fought earlier. The match against 'The Champion' will be far harder. Are you sure that you are going to be able to stand it?"

Gyarados roared, as if it was insulted that she was suggesting it couldn't fight. The other Pokémon copied, and adopted fighting stances. Misty watched, with tears in her eyes, as she realized that they would fight for her. In fact, they would do almost anything for her. It was a sobering thought, but she pushed it aside.

"Thank you. Thank you all of you. Now, to be at our best for tomorrow, we are going to have to train today. I don't want you hurting each other, but I want you to work on speed and evasion."

It was some time later that Misty returned to the Ketchum residence, somewhat tired, but buoyed up for the following day. She found that Gary had left the video she asked for by the TV, so she settled down to watch it in the time before Mrs Ketchum managed to cook dinner with the help of Brock. She watched as 'The Champion's' Charizard destroyed Cynthia's team, and how, despite its type weakness, its attacks burned straight through to Milotic. It was at the end, where a Flamethrower went straight through a Hydro Pump and knocked Milotic out that Misty knew she was in trouble. She didn't know what 'The Champion' would use, but if it possessed the power of his Charizard, she would not stand a chance. As the video came to an end, with Charizard slamming Garchomp into the ground with a deadly Seismic Toss, before firing a Flamethrower attack at it to knock it out, Misty heard a voice from next to her.

"Watching you reminds me of him." Mrs Ketchum had come to find Misty, and sat next to her. She had heard about the Water-Trainers plan, and knew that she would need some comfort. "With you out training, travelling to become stronger, and now preparing for a battle tomorrow, you are doing exactly what he did."

Misty didn't know what to say. She didn't want to remind Delia about her son, but she wanted to keep doing what he would have wanted her to do. But before she could try to say something, Delia carried on.

"Thank you Misty. Without you in a way fulfilling his dream, I don't think I could carry on. I know he would want to be where you are now, but I know that if he couldn't be, he would want nothing more than to have one of his friends doing it. You do him proud, and you do his memory proud. Thank you for honoring my son."

With that, Delia got up and walked slowly away. At the door she turned and said with a sad smile "Dinners ready, if you want to come and eat like him too"

* * *

Inside the Indigo Plateau, Ash was standing in his office, looking out the window. There was a knock on the door. "Enter" came the curt command. Cynthia pushed the door open, and walked in, looking slightly apprehensive. She looked around and saw the figure by the window, before noticing his hat on his desk, behind which was a very simple chair. The office was very simple, having already been redecorated by Ash himself. The changes weren't numerous because Cynthia had simple tastes, similar to Ash. Cynthia was reflecting on this, when a voice caused her to jump. "Sit". Ash had moved to behind the desk, and sat in the chair there. Looking round, Cynthia realized he was gesturing towards a chair opposite him, across the desk. She quickly moved to the chair, and sat down. She looked across the table, and for the first time, saw the Pokémon Masters face without it being hidden by his hat. He had a sharply defined face, but what caught her attention were his eyes. One was dark and utterly void of anything. The other was electric blue, and dancing with energy. They were quite unlike anything that Cynthia had seen before, but her staring was interrupted by a chuckling from the man to whom they belonged.

"If you are going to spend the entire time staring at my eyes, I'll put the hat back on. I just thought it might be useful for the purposes of this meeting for you to see me properly."

Blushing, Cynthia looked down and muttered "No, it's fine. Sorry, just they are so… unusual."

"Don't worry about it. I understand that they are not what you're used to. Now, I suspect you are wondering why I asked you for this meeting. Put simply, I have a proposition for you. As you heard, I will not train upcoming Pokémon trainers like you did. I shall be devoting my time to other matters, as well as training a small group of elites. I expect gym leaders to be taking charge in training youngsters, but there will also need to be somebody coordinating the effort, as well as evaluating the stronger candidates. I would like you to be that person."

Cynthia was shocked. This man had publicly stated that he would not take an active role in teaching except to a few, and then invited her to do exactly what he had just said he wouldn't do! It was a maddening bit of politics, and infuriating to be manipulated like this. Because the job would be perfect for her after her defeat, and she suspected that the man sat opposite her knew it. Such an opportunity was unlikely to come around twice, so she knew she should probably take it. And she might have been about to agree, when there was a knock on the door and a man entered.

"Sir, there is a challenger here, claiming the right to battle you."

Ash looked at him. "The first one? About time, I was beginning to think that nobody would battle me. Very well, who is it?"

"A Misty Waterflower, Sir. The match is scheduled to start in 30 minutes."

"Thank you. I'll be along momentarily. Cynthia" at this she looked up "Can I expect an answer after the battle? Please think about it, I believe that you really are the right person for this. Now, if you'd excuse me." Ash stood up, rounded the desk and strode out, leaving Cynthia to contemplate what had just happened. She then realized she could go and watch a match between a trainer that had crushed her and a Water-Trainer who she had been following for a while. It was a match she really wanted to see, and so she hurried out of the office, not seeing the door that swung shut behind her by itself.


	3. Chapter 3

"This is a battle between the Pokémon Master, 'The Champion' and Misty Waterflower. It is a test match, meaning nothing is riding on the outcome. Misty is the first trainer to want to challenge 'The Champion' and having seen how he destroyed opponents during the World League it isn't surprising nobody wants to face him."

"Don't remind me" Misty growled at the announcer, his voice carrying into the waiting room. The shock on the face of the receptionist a mere 2 hours before was still on her mind. She had expected to have to wait some time to face 'The Champion' but it seemed that nobody was willing to go up against him, fearing his power. As a result, she was able to face him almost immediately. The stadium wasn't particularly busy, but there was a reasonable crowd, hoping to be able to watch the Master battle once again. If Misty hadn't challenged him, it was highly possible that there wouldn't have been a challenge that day at all.

"And now, please welcome to the field the challenger, Misty Waterflower, and the Pokémon Master, 'The Champion!'

Misty took a deep breath and walked out, seeing a dark figure come to her from across the stadium. Meeting in the middle, she took the offered hand, and looked up into his face, only to realize that it was hidden by the shadow cast by a hat. As she pulled her hand back, she took another breath and launched into speech.

"You wanted people who think they are good to train. I think that I am strong enough, if you'll teach me."

A deep voice emanated from the shadowed face. "So that is why you wanted to challenge. Miss Waterflower, I believe you are a Water-Trainer? Then a Water field should give you the edge. Do your best."

As 'The Champion' spoke, the field began to split, and then a water field appeared in its place. There was a platform at either end for the trainers, and a series of platforms dotted around, but these were very small. Misty was reminded of the Cerulean Gym, just the platforms were far smaller. She looked into the stands where she saw all of her friends watching, as well as her sisters and the trainers from the Cerulean Gym. Her opponent started walking back to his end, and Misty hurried to do the same. As they faced each other across the pool, the referee stepped forward.

"This is a full battle between the challenger Misty Waterflower and the Pokémon Master on a water field. The Master shall choose his Pokémon first. Neither side may make substitutions. Trainers, choose your Pokémon."

Wordlessly, the figure across from Misty raised his arm. A Pokémon materialized in the water near him. Misty breathed a sigh of relief when she realized he wasn't using his Charizard, but then looking at it she wondered what she was facing. It was a torpedo shaped shark, with a cross on its head. Misty saw May pull out her Pokédex, and listened for what she had to fight.

"Sharpedo, the Brutal Pokémon. Nicknamed "the bully of the sea" Sharpedo is widely feared. Its cruel fangs grow back immediately if they snap off."

Misty gulped. This particular Water Pokémon wasn't cute at all. In fact, it looked ready to kill. For the first time, she thought that perhaps her younger self grandly stating that all water Pokémon are cute might have been wrong. Knowing she had to make a good impression, she pulled out a Pokéball, and shouted "Misty calls Gyarados!"

The Pokémon appeared with a roar and a huge splash, causing the few spectators to gasp, and with good reason. Anybody who hadn't seen Misty's Gyarados develop would have been impressed at the size and aura of power it projected. However, looking over to her opponent, Misty couldn't see any emotion on the visible part of his face. Glancing down she realized that Sharpedo, far from being intimidated was sizing up Gyarados to which the Atrocious Pokémon responded in kind. The referee stepped, forward and raised his flags above his head. "The first battle is between Sharpedo and Gyarados. Are both trainers ready?" Nods of assent from either end caused the referee to snap both flags down and call "Begin!"

"Ice Beam followed by Bite."  
Before Misty could even call a command, Gyarados was caught by a beam of ice that sent him reeling backwards. The Atrocious Pokémon roared in pain, a roar that became painfully loud as Sharpedos teeth closed around his tail. Misty gasped in shock, the speed of Sharpedo was incredible. It moved through the water faster than anything she had ever seen.

"Poison Jab." came the next command

"Gyarados, throw it away now!"

As Sharpedo relaxed his teeth, Gyarados swung his tail around, causing the shark to be thrown across the pool. However, before Misty could do anything else, a curt command came from across the pool.

"Giga Impact."

Sharpedo instantly reversed its flight, and slammed into Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokémon was sent crashing down into the pool, sending a wave across it which soaked Misty. As she shook her now sodden hair out of her eyes, she saw Gyarados lying in the pool, not moving at all. The attack had been overkill. Sharpedo had settled down back where he started, not showing any signs of having fought at all. Misty shakily felt for Gyarados' Pokéball and recalled her serpent, rapidly revising the strength of her opponent. It did not make for pleasant thoughts. She pulled out another Pokéball, and threw it, not bothering to call the name of the released Pokémon. A large red fish appeared, with a powerful horn on its forehead. It looked across the pool to its opponent, and a look of fierce determination crossed its face.

* * *

Gary leaned back in his seat, whistling softly. Next to him Brock was nodding approvingly, but Max was struggling to see what they were all so impressed by. All he had seen was 'The Champion' think very quickly on his feet to save his Pokémon from an embarrassing landing. Looking at the older men, he mentioned this, causing Gary to chuckle. "Max, that wasn't luck. He knew that Misty, fearing for Gyarados would try to get Sharpedo as far away as possible, and with it biting on Gyarados' tail that means throwing it. However, as soon as Sharpedo was in the air, Giga Impact had the benefit of gravity driving it making it that much more powerful. I think he had that planned from the moment Misty released Gyarados. I hate to say it, but even if he had weak Pokémon Misty would struggle if he can think that far ahead. That was a strategy far beyond anything I've seen. Combine that with the sheer power of the Pokémon, I mean a Sharpedo that can destroy Gyarados that fast is _unreal_ and you have a virtually unbeatable battler. No wonder Cynthia lost."

Max stared.

"There is no way that he planned that. That's impossible." Brock looked over at the young trainer before answering.

"Max, you are watching as close to a perfect battler as you will ever see. I'm not sure if he will ever lose." Gary then added in a teasing voice. "You've picked a good idol Max, too bad you'll never be as good as him."

Max was about to shout at Gary, but a voice in his ear stopped him. "Max, don't let him get to you. One day you'll be strong enough to get him to train you and then you will be able to destroy Gary."

Max spun around to see James moving away, although he looked back and smiled at the younger trainer. May then hushed everybody as the next round was about to begin.

* * *

"Seaking vs Sharpedo. Begin!" called the referee, snapping his flags down once again.

"Seaking, Horn Drill now!" called Misty, desperate to get an attack in before she was obliterated again.

"Sharpedo, Scary Face."

Seaking surged forwards, to be greeted by a face from her darkest nightmares. She shrunk back, her horn slowing down from its drilling, to return to normal. Misty clenched her fists in frustration, before shouting a new command.

"Seaking, Water Pulse!"

"dive, and use Crunch."

"Seaking Agility!"

Seaking fired a large ball of water at Sharpedo who dove under water before surging up over Seaking who was trying to obey her trainers desperate cry and dodge. Sharpedo missed on the way up, but then his jaws closed around Seaking on the descent.

"Sharpedo, take it for a ride."

The Brutal Pokémon dove back under water, Seaking still in its jaws. A few moments later a platform was suddenly sent flying into the air, before crashing into the water. Where the platform had been, Seaking lay, its body bruised, and unmoving. The referee raised his flag.

"Seaking is unable to battle. Sharpedo is victorious."

Misty quickly returned Seaking, and threw out another Pokéball.

"Dewgong, show time!"

A pearly white body appeared in the pool, causing many of the women in the audience to go glassy-eyed at its beauty. However, there was little opportunity to appreciate it as the referee's flags went up again. "Dewgong vs Sharpedo. Begin!" called the referee as he snapped his flags down.

"Dewgong, Ice Beam!"

"Copy"

Dewgong fired out a blue beam but Sharpedo retaliated and the sharks beam pushed straight through, sending Dewgong crashing into the water. Before Misty or her Pokémon could recover, Sharpedo tore through, smashing into Dewgong, throwing her out of the water and landing on a platform. Like the two Pokémon before her, Dewgong was clearly knocked out.

"Dewgong is unable to battle. Since Misty has lost 3 Pokémon, there shall be a 10 minute break" called the referee. Misty recalled Dewgong, thanking it, and watched as her opponent silently recalled Sharpedo, turning on his heel and striding into his room.

Misty shakily made her way into her own room. As soon as she was out of sight of the crowd she collapsed onto a bench, shaking. The first half of the battle had lasted a mere 5 minutes. The Sharpedo was deadly in the water, and its attacks were crushingly powerful. Whilst Dewgong was one of her weakest in terms of endurance, to have it taken out so quickly was terrifying. And Gyarados! It was her strongest, the only Pokémon who could match it in endurance was Golduck who hated to lose when she was watching. She knew the Duck Pokémon would fight to the point of exhaustion for her, and she knew he would this day because of what it meant to her. Misty felt her shaking increase, and felt something wet land on her knees. She rubbed her eyes and realized she was crying. She had spent years training for this moment, the chance to prove herself to a great trainer and be taught, but she hadn't even got a hit in yet. Half her team was down and each one was falling quicker than the next. She let the tears flow as she held the Pokéballs containing Gyarados, Seaking and Dewgong. Each of these Pokémon she had a bond with, and each of them had been ruthlessly destroyed by 'The Champion'. She now knew how well he had earned that title. She never thought she would be crushed so effortlessly. A buzzer snapped her out of her misery. She had 1 minute left. Standing up, she rubbed at her eyes to try to and hide the signs of her tears. With a new determination she strode out. She was _going_ to make her opponent respect her.

As she took her place on her side of the pool, she watched her opponent throw his Pokéball before even ordered to. Sharpedo appeared once again, grinning at her, inviting her to face it once again. Misty pulled a new Pokéball from her belt.

"Misty calls Starmie!"

May leaned towards Dawn, before muttering into her ear. "She's been crying. This is hurting her."  
Dawn nodded before bouncing to her feet and shouting "Come on Misty, you can do it! Beat this guy!"May just sunk back into her seat, thinking "why do I even bother..."

The referee stepped back up to his mark, before raising his flags. "Starmie vs Sharpedo. Are both trainers ready?" A quick nod from each side caused the flags to snap down. "Begin!"

"Starmie, psychic!"

"Crunch."

The gem at the centre of the purple star glowed, and blue light appeared around Sharpedo. The Brutal Pokémon ignored it, and charged towards the star, crunching down on it with its teeth.

"Again." Came the command from 'The Champion.'

The shark obeyed, before throwing the dtar into the sky. It flew into the air and crashed on to a platform, not moving.

"Starmie is unable to battle. Sharpedo is victorious!"

* * *

"I don't get it" said May. "How come psychic didn't do anything?"

"It isn't necessarily well-known, but Sharpedo is part dark. Therefore, any psychic attack is useless" answered Gary knowledgeably. "Misty clearly didn't know that. Also, crunch being a dark move is going to be even stronger against Starmie. That was perhaps the worst match-up she could have chosen."

"Don't be so cruel to her!" scolded Dawn. "She is doing her best. I'd like to see you fight the Pokémon Master!"

"Dawn, I'm not deliberately being mean. I'm merely pointing out that she had absolutely no chance of beating Sharpedo with Starmie. She needs to make the most of the one Pokémon she has that has a strength against that shark. She should use it now..."

* * *

"I choose you Poliwrath!" The muscled figure of Poliwrath appeared on the platform nearest Misty, flexing its muscles. It took one look at the scoreboard and then did a double take. It showed just one Pokémon on 'The Champions' side, whilst Misty was down four. "Poli, Poliwrath?" the Tadpole Pokémon questioned?

"Poliwrath, do not underestimate that Sharpedo, it's the strongest thing you'll have ever faced."

"Poliwrath vs Sharpedo. Begin!"

"Poliwrath, wait for it to come to you on the platform."

"Take Down"

As Poliwrath got into a defensive stance, Sharpedo raced across the pool, diving underneath and slamming the platform into the air. Poliwrath was thrown off-balance, but Misty was quick enough to save it.

"Bubblebeam into the pool slightly to the left." The surge of bubbles directed Poliwrath onto another platform, where he settled into another stance.

"Take down."

This sequence happened 3 more times, with Poliwrath becoming more adept at landing each time. As he landed again, a different command came from across the pool.

"Surf."

A huge wall of water raced at Poliwrath, but Misty finally moved to the offensive.

"Poliwrath, wait for it to come and then Karate Chop."

As the wall of water crashed into the Tadpole, it went with the impact leaving the platform but then lunged at Sharpedo who was in the wave, crashing his arm into the shark. Unfortunately, Sharpedos skin hurt the Tadpole Pokémon, which was rapidly exacerbated when he glowed purple and fell to a knee, poisoned from a Poison Jab covered by Surf. Before Sharpedo could get away, Poliwrath reached out and grabbed him, enduring the pain from his skin.

"Poliwrath, get it onto the platform" Misty called, seeing a chance to really damage the Brutal Pokémon. Poliwrath heaved its prey onto the platform and then leaped after it.

"Now Poliwrath, it can't dodge, use Submission!"

"Dodge."

Poliwrath reached for Sharpedo, but the shark had managed to move away with staggering speed. Misty gasped as she saw the fish managing to use its fins to _run _on land. Its two side fins had managed to bend down and propel it away from the Tadpole Pokémon and across the platform. Poliwrath looked stunned and was momentarily exposed.

"Giga Impact."

The shark streaked across the platform, smashing into Poliwrath sending him flying until his passage was stopped by the wall. Misty cringed, knowing that her fighting Pokémon had fallen. She turned and extended a Pokéball, returning Poliwrath. She reached for her final ball, and threw it. "Golduck, your up!"

A blue duck appeared with a yellow bill, flexing its muscles. He glared across the water at Sharpedo who merely smirked back. Golduck then turned to hear its trainer calling to him.

"Golduck, you know how important this is to us. You are the last one, he has beaten everybody else. Do your best for all of us"

Golduck nodded, then adopted a fighting stance. The referee stepped forwards with both of his flags raised. "Golduck vs Sharpedo. Begin!"

"Golduck, water gun"

"Crunch"

"Dodge and get into the water"

Golduck fired a stream of water at the shark,but Sharpedo charged straight through it, barely seeming to notice. He threw himself at Golduck, but the Duck Pokémon dived into the pool, swimming away as quickly as possible.

"Ice Beam"

Before Golduck could dodge, he was trapped in a block of ice that bobbed to the surface of the pool. Sharpedo then charged in once again and smashed through the ice, biting down on Golduck. The duck screamed in pain and flailed out, trying to dislodge Sharpedo, but without success.

"Throw and use Giga Impact."

Misty was powerless to watch her Pokémon get crushed as Golduck was thrown into the air before Sharpedo smashed into him from below. Golduck rose into the air once again and crashed down onto a platform, causing smoke to appear. Sharpedo returned to settle in front of his trainer. However, as the smoke cleared, Golduck was slowly clambering to his feet. His blue body as covered in bruises, yet he refused to lie down when his trainer needed him. Misty could see that Golduck was beyond the end of his tether, but had a chance to impress her opponent with her Pokémons endurance and didn't want to forfeit.

"Golduck, Hydro Pump"

"Take down"

Golduck fired a torrent of water at Sharpedo who slipped to the side before sending Golduck flying with another powerful attack. Again, the stadium thought the battle was over, but again Golduck was able to climb to his feet, although barely able to stand. He simply refused to lie down, despite the crushing power of his opponents attacks.

"Again"

With Golduck too tired to even attempt to dodge, Sharpedo used Take Down, sending the duck back to the ground, where he crawled to his feet, no longer even able to move. At this point, no more commands were forthcoming from 'The Champion', and Misty watched her Pokémon try to regain some sort of battle posture.

* * *

In the stands the gang was in awe of Golducks endurance. They had seen the power of Sharpedos attacks as he dispatched the rest of Misty's team, but this Pokémon seemed was refusing to give up.

"What's he waiting for?" May asked as 'The Champions' inaction lengthened.. "Golduck is finished, he needs to just hit it again."

Brock and Gary looked at each other, as realization sank in. Brock turned to May and explained.

"He is waiting for Misty to recall Golduck. She should know he can't win, and is in no state to fight, so to stop her Pokémon being harmed she should recall it. However, I don't think she is thinking straight anymore. Her team has been decimated, but she has one Pokémon that is refusing to give up. I think she will be trying to show him that her team has endurance. She will be driven by anger to try and get revenge."

"But if he's waiting for her to recall Golduck, shouldn't she do that?" May persisted.

"Yes, but I doubt she will. Her will to prove herself and the stubbornness of that duck will make it hard for her to withdraw it."

* * *

Back on the field, Golduck has regained its feet, and Misty called for another Water Gun attack. Sharpedo looked back at his trainer who nodded. A gold beam formed in front of its mouth, before firing at Golduck. The hyper beam smashed straight through the Water Gun and sent the duck flying backwards once more. Golduck skidded to the ground, immobile for a moment, but then with one hand began to haul itself to its feet once again. There were gasps from around the stadium, to take two of the most powerful attacks around and to still get up was unbelievable.

"Sharpedo, end it."

Before Golduck had finished regaining its feet, Sharpedo darted forwards and tackled it to the ground. Again Golduck began climbing to its feet, but as it tried again, Sharpedo tackled it once more. After three more tackles, Sharpedo returned to its trainer, as Golduck was barely able to even more an arm. However, unbelievably, he then slowly pushed itself to its knees, and then to its feet. Facing Sharpedo once again, it glared across the pool at the shark that it refused to let defeat it.

Misty took a deep breath. "Golduck, can you still fight?"

Golduck didn't respond, but a golden beam appeared in front of the gem on his head, before firing across the pool at Sharpedo, who dived under water. As the shark surfaced, preparing to attack once more, Golduck toppled forwards into the pool. Sharpedo dived after it, and pulled it to the surface, pushing it onto the platform. The duck lay there, not moving.

"Golduck!" Misty screamed. "Golduck, are you ok?"

The referee stepped forward, for the last time. "Golduck is unable to battle. Misty is out of Pokémon, so the victory goes to 'The Champion'!"

Misty watched her opponent recall his Pokémon, and she reached out to do so herself. Holding out the Pokéball, a red beam came out, but stopped just short of Golduck. She tried again, and the same thing happened. Suddenly Golduck lifted off the platform and began to float away from Misty, towards her opponent. She looked up at him, as Golduck came to rest beside him. He knelt next to the stricken Pokémon and put a hand on the side of its head. A team of Nurse Joys and Chanseys ran onto the field with a stretcher, where they lifted Golduck, 'The Champion' never moving his hand from the side of the Pokémon. As the stretcher moved away, Golducks Pokéball suddenly flew out of Mistys hand and was caught by her opponent. Misty felt sick, she hadn't realized how hard she had pushed her Pokémon. She hurried after the stretcher as it rapidly moved away down a tunnel at the side of the stadium.

* * *

"What just happened?" Drew asked. "What was he doing to Golduck?"

"I have absolutely no idea" came Brocks response. "Gary, any clues?"

"Only one. He is a psychic" was the researchers suggestion.

"Like Sabrina? Could be..." Brock mused. "Although from what I remember about Sabrina, she is one of the most powerful psychics around and she would struggle to move a Pokémon like that whilst moving. Usually she stands still when working."

"Yeah, but it would explain how Golduck was moved away if he was a strong psychic." Gary argued.

Dawn was listening, but finally butted in. "Guys, does it matter? Our friend was just crushed, one of her Pokémon just been taken away and your arguing over whether he is a psychic?"

"Sorry" they muttered quietly. As they looked up, they saw May, Max, Dawn, Jessie, James and Meowth all heading down the stairs to try to find Misty.

* * *

"Get it on the operating table, I need to see if it has any internal injuries." Nurse Joy commanded her Chanseys. Ash kept his hand on the side of Golducks head, with his eyes shut. Nurse Joy turned to him. "Sir, I'm afraid your going to have to wait outside."

Under his hat, Ashs eyes snapped open, although Joy couldn't see. "No. I'll heal him." His tone left no room for argument, and it never occured to the Nurse that she should try to overrule him.

Ash shut his eyes again and focused on Golduck. He sent out his aura into the duck Pokémon, looking for any internal injuries. As he found them he pushed power into the tissue around them, healing them before moving on. Nurse Joy had set up an x-ray, and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The Pokémon shouldn't have survived the journey with injuries like these, and now they were being healed in front of her eyes. As the last of the internal injuries was sealed, Ash pulled a Pokéball from his belt, releasing Meganium. Not moving his hand, he caused all the lights in the room to snap on, and then turned to his Pokémon. "Heal." The Leaf Pokémon wrapped its vines around Golduck and then began to absorb energy from the lights, to transfer to the wounded duck. Meganiums eyes widened as it realised how badly wounded the Pokémon was, and looked questioningly at its trainer. Ash just shrugged. As the bruises on Golducks body began to heal, Ash placed his hand the duck once again and began transfering energy. After nearly 5 minutes of transfering energy, Ash and Meganium withdrew. Ash then turned to the stunned nurse who had watched him heal a Pokémon that she had thought would take her hours.

"Let him rest. I can't restore his full energy, but he will be fine. Nobody can see him, not even his trainer. I'll collect him tomorrow morning."

Ash then recalled his Meganium and walked out. Nurse Joy ran after him, and called for him to stop which he did, but didn't turn around.

"Champion, what did you do?"

"I just saved a Pokémons life. How is irrelevant."

"Why can't his trainer see him? She'll be worried."

"She is the reason he was hurt. Her license will be reviewed." Still having not turned at all, Ash strode out the door, and back towards the stadium which the center was next to and where his office was.

A few minutes later Misty dashed through the doors. Nurse Joy looked up from where she was behind the desk, trying to analyse what had happened.

"Nurse Joy, where is my Golduck? I have to see him!"

Nurse Joy frowned. This was the trainer who had caused her Pokémon to nearly die. She had analysed the injuries whilst they were healed. It was very possible without 'The Champions' aid she wouldn't have been able to do anything. She stood up, frowning at the women in front of her.

"Miss Waterflower, I cannot allow this. Pokémon Master left clear instructions that nobody was permitted to visit, even explicitly stating that you in particular could not. Perhaps you should appeal and see what he thinks about the state you let your Pokémon get into. If it wasn't for his intervention I would have struggled to save your Pokémon."

Misty faltered. This was unexpected. She couldn't see her friend? And the Masters intervention? What had happened here? She felt her eyes filling with tears. "But Nurse Joy, I want to…"

"No. Do not make me have to throw you out. You may wait here if you wish, but you will not be allowed to see him. The Pokémon will rest here until the Pokémon Master deems otherwise. As his right with a Pokémon he feels to have been mistreated."

At this moment the rest of the gang came into the Pokémon Centre. Gary was the first to reach Misty, and seeing her state he instantly took her into a hug.

"Misty, what is happening? Where's Golduck?"

"I can't see him. Nobody can apparently. He thinks I mistreat my Pokémon"

Dawn turned to Nurse Joy, a furious expression on her face. "How can you stop a trainer from seeing her own injured Pokémon? It's her responsibility; she should be allowed to see it! Misty would never mistreat any of her Pokémon!"

Nurse Joy bridled at this. "If she was so worried about it, she shouldn't have let it get in such a state. I am only obeying orders. The Pokémon Master has the right to protect a Pokémon he believes to have been mistreated. Given the state of Golduck, and the level of injuries, I have to concur with his view, and cannot therefore overrule him."

"But it was the Master that caused him to get so badly injured!" Dawn exclaimed. Nurse Joy was about to answer, but Misty cut across Dawn, her voice sad and tearful.

"Dawn, she is right. I let Golduck go too far. 'The Champion' was trying to prevent it getting hurt at the end, all he used was tackle. I should have recalled Golduck. Nurse Joy, can you please heal the rest of my Pokémon? We'll go and get some rooms, and I'll come back to collect them in the morning." Misty held out 5 Pokéballs, which Nurse Joy accepted. Misty then turned and walked slowly away, with the rest of the gang watching in disbelief. Gary turned and chased after her. The rest of the group looked at each other.

"So" said Drew. "I think Garys got that. Nurse Joy, do you have any rooms we can stay in?"

* * *

Ash walked upstairs to where his office was and entered, settling himself behind his desk. He felt exhausted, having poured most of his energy into Mistys Pokémon trying to save him. He moved to his computer and searched through trainer profiles. He located Misty Waterflower and marked her license as under review, suspending it in the process. He then looked towards the door where he sensed a familiar person approaching. The door swung open of its own accord and Cynthia walked in, hesitating as she passed the threshold. The door shut itself behind her and she sat down in the chair in front of the desk once again.

Cynthia knew exactly what she wanted. The job she had been offered was perfect for her, and would perhaps allow her to be a moderating influence on the man in front of her. It had surprised her when she realized it, but she actually agreed with what he was doing. She knew that the majority of gym leaders were powerful, but there were a few weaker ones. She also knew that many of them were bad at training upcoming trainers. If she became the overseer for this she could focus on what she loved, Pokémon and teaching. However, before she accepted she wanted to clarify a few things.

"Champion" she started haltingly, before realizing how uncharacteristic this was and took a breath to calm herself. "What did you do with Golduck?"

"His wounds are healed, and he is regaining energy. I couldn't restore it all."

"You couldn't... Wait, what did you do?"

"Healed him."

"How?"

"Does it matter?"

"To me, yes. As well as a battler, I'm a..."

"A researcher. Yes, I know about your passion for research Cynthia. Your wondering how a human is possibly able to heal a Pokémon when you know that the amount of energy a Pokémon has is far greater to that of a human. Suffice it to say, I have my ways. Golduck is fine."

Cynthia blinked. She did not expect him to see through her that easily. Realizing that this question was probably not going to get answered, she moved on.

"The job you offered. I assume its available?"`

"Yes."

"Then I would like to accept on a few conditions. Firstly, I would need full access to the trainer database, for obvious reasons. I would also expect a way of contacting you at any time. Equally, if I am to do this properly, I expect you to trust my judgement. If I say a trainer is good enough, it means you would have to give them a fair assessment, and if they are good enough, you will have to train them."

"This seems reasonable."

"When it comes to training, I would like to be able to use the facilities given over to you here at Indigo. Not all the time, but I would want to run camps here for promising trainers. You could even attend these to watch promising trainers."

"I will not use them all the time. If your demands for their use aren't excessive, this is acceptable."

"And I would like to know your name."

"That Cynthia, is something I can't give you."

"Why not? Surely you know, and if I'm going to work this closely for you, I expect you to trust me."

"My name is a closely guarded secret. Its not that I don't trust you, but I am always cautious. You will not be allowed to know it. However, if you wish to know my extent of trust for you, try entering the island a few miles from here. I believe it has been called Mystery Island? You are welcome there, although I do suggest you pick a time I am home for your first visit."

Cynthia leaned back in her chair, breathing out. She had gained far more than she expected, the only thing missing was a name. And the revelation about Mystery Island was intriguing. She knew she couldn't reveal anything from the island if she wished to get closer to any of his other secrets, but to be able to get onto the island that had frustrated people for nearly 3 years was a very tempting offer. She remembered when it first appeared, a road appearing overnight, and a gate that was never open. Anybody who tried to fly over found themselves being diverted away. Nobody had managed to get onto it, ever. And she now could. Before she could say anything else however, the man across the desk spoke once again.

"My criteria. Your main role is to help promising trainers who have potential. Much like you did as Master, so you can do this as you see fit. However, you will also be my deputy. You may not divulge anything that passes between us, under any circumstances. And whilst I will listen to your advice, ultimately, decisions are mine alone. Agreed?"

As he spoke, he extended a hand over the desk. Cynthia thought a moment, then realised that this was what she wanted. She took the offered hand and shook it.

"Welcome back to the Pokémon League Cynthia. Your appointment will be announced tomorrow."

**A/N**

**I feel I should probably write something here. Firstly, thank you to all of you who have reviewed this so far. Gives me some sort of inclination to keep writing. Though please feel free to criticize, if I don't get any I'll be worried!  
Oh and thank you for reading!**

**To answer a couple questions from the reviews: **

**Dragonfire97 - When I wrote the bit about Meganium leaning on a wall, I kinda had a vision of it resting its head on a wall, so having its neck lean. I didn't really make it very clear though, its a good point!**

**Grassy Nol - I understand that some people just don't like some characters, but given the time gap (7 years in the future) I intend to have the characters somewhat more mature. Misty you should come to find will be slightly less brutal in her ways.**

**The two of you who wanted to know the other team members - I will reveal them in due course. Basically as we get to a point where they actually need to be revealed, they will be. Should be fairly soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

At 8am precisely Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Master, stepped into the Pokémon Center. He found Nurse Joy behind the desk waiting for him. He nodded to her wordlessly, and she gestured to the corridor leading to the examination room. He followed her and stepped into the room. There was a blue Pokémon lying on the table, still out cold. Ash turned to the nurse.  
"Did his trainer come by?"

"Yes Sir. I forbade her from entering, as ordered. She eventually left her Pokémon with me to heal, which I have done so."

"Good. Let her know that I am looking after Golduck whilst he heals. He will be returned. There will be a representative here soon to talk to her. Thank you Nurse Joy."

With that, Ash held out a Pokéball, returned Golduck and walked out of the room, heading straight out of the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy returned to her desk, and waited for Misty to come and collect her remaining Pokémon.

Cynthia sat in the waiting area, irritated. It wasn't that she didn't realize that she would have to do this sort of thing; in fact it was better for her to do it. It's just she didn't realize she would have to do it on her first day. She cast her mind back to the meeting the previous night, immediately after she had accepted the her new job.

_Flashback_

"You saw the battle" The figure on the other side of the desk said. It wasn't a question, but Cynthia nodded regardless. "What did you think about Golduck?"

"She should have recalled it. When it was hit by the Giga Impact she should have. After the Hyper Beam I was shocked that she didn't. However, his endurance was staggering. Why?"

"She wants me to train her. Throughout the fight I considered it. Her Pokémon were strong, and she is young. She has potential. However, she doesn't know when to stop. Part of being a trainer is looking after your Pokémon. I have no problem with her fighting, although outclassed, but she should have stopped her Golduck. As Pokémon Master, I have to mark her trainer's license for review, simply because not recalling her Pokémon counts as abuse when it is in that state. Thoughts?"

Cynthia was silent for a few moments. She knew that he was right, and as Master she would have done the same thing. In fact, she had suspended 4 trainer's licenses in the last year for the same reason. However, she respected Misty, and didn't want it to happen to her. Having agreed to speak her mind, she decided to do so.

"In principle I agree. However, she is an excellent trainer and I do not believe that she has actually abused any of her Pokémon. I might be wrong, but what if I'm right? If this was just a case of getting carried away, a warning will suffice. If you're wrong, you'll set a bad precedent, and ruin the career of a potentially great trainer."

"Agreed. That is why I shall personally review her case. I'm not expecting a particularly busy month, so I should have plenty of time. Tomorrow I shall have prepared a letter for you to give her, and you will meet her to explain the process. If I rule in her favour, she will be an excellent student for you."

_End Flashback_

This had brought Cynthia to her current position, waiting for Misty to come and collect her Pokémon, so she could be told about the current suspension on her trainer's license. Cynthia knew that she was unlikely to take the information particularly well, but she strongly suspected that the ruling would be in Mistys favor. 'The Champion' would be honest she knew. She heard footsteps coming from the rooms further inside the centre and looked around. Misty had appeared at last, along with a man she recognized as Gary Oak. 'Interesting' she mused. 'Wonder what he is doing with her and none of their other friends.' Cynthia had taken a keen interest in one of their friends when she was Champion of the Sinnoh region, but knew he had vanished 7 years ago. As time had gone by Ash Ketchum had slipped out of her mind, but he had returned when she saw all his friends once again. He would have been a great pupil for her, perhaps even strong enough to be successor. At least, until 'The Champion' came along. Ashs disappearance had surprised her, but she couldn't spend too long searching. Hearing Misty talking to Nurse Joy, Cynthia composed herself and then stood up, striding across.

"Nurse Joy, is Golduck alright?" Misty had regained her other 5 Pokéballs and was now asking about her sixth Pokémon. However, before the Nurse could answer, Misty heard a cough behind her. She turned to see a tall woman with long blonde hair stood behind her. Even though she was no longer Pokémon Master, Cynthia was instantly recognizable. Before Misty could say anything, Cynthia gestured to the chairs around where she had waited.

"Miss Waterflower, may I talk to you?"

"I need to ask about my Golduck, he was put into isolation yesterday, after I was forbidden from seeing him by 'The Champion'."

"I assure you Miss Waterflower, your Pokémon is absolutely fine. He is however, no longer here. 'Champion' has taken him to continue his recovery, somewhere where he can be watched more easily. Now, there are a few things I need to discuss with you in an official capacity, so if you please?"

Gary jumped in at this point. "No disrespect, but you are no longer the Pokémon Master. Surely you no longer have an official role?"

Cynthia chuckled. "I was made an offer to stay on as a teacher. I shall be assisting the younger generation of Pokémon trainers, essentially what I was doing before. However, that is not why I am here. Miss Waterflower, if you please?"

They made their way over to the chairs, and sat down. Before Misty could ask the questions that were clearly bursting inside her, Cynthia held up a hand.

"Miss Waterflower, I have many things to talk to you about. I suggest that you don't interrupt me till I'm finished; it will make the process a great deal quicker." Misty nodded, so Cynthia continued.

"Firstly, you should be aware of the consequences of your actions in your battle yesterday. As Pokémon Master, 'Champion' is required to keep an eye on any potential Pokémon abuse. Now, since I have tracked your progress for some time, I am aware that this is highly unlikely in your case. However, permitting your Golduck to keep battling after sustaining the injuries that it did is a form of Pokémon abuse. I spoke to Nurse Joy, and she was of the opinion that if 'Champion' hadn't intervened, your Pokémon would have died. I do not know what his intervention was, but if it saved the life of your Golduck, you owe him a great debt. However, as you displayed blatant disregard for your Pokémons safety in front of 'Champion', he had no choice but to initiate an investigation into your treatment of Pokémon. His intention is to make it a short investigation as he doesn't believe that you abuse your Pokémon. However, as an ex-Gym Leader, I am sure you are aware that standard procedure is to have your training license temporarily suspended for the duration of the investigation. I am here to inform you of this. A notification has been placed on your Pokémon League account, and if there is any record of a battle in this time, there will be grounds for a revocation of your license, regardless of the outcome of the investigation. During this time you are also not allowed to train your Pokémon."

Misty looked down, knowing that everything Cynthia said was not only true, but fair. She had pushed Golduck too far, and as an ex-Gym Leader she knew all the regulations for such an event. She looked back at Cynthia.

"When will a decision be made?"

"I would expect a few days. In that time, there is a strong chance you will be required to attend an interview as well as some of your friends and colleagues from the gym. I suggest you warn them of the possibility."

Misty nodded. Cynthia then handed an envelope over.

"This is from him. He told me to hand it to you. Should you need to contact me, I will be at the Indigo Plateau along with the rest of the Pokémon League. Thank you for your time."

Cynthia stood up and moved away. She felt guilty that she had to be the bearer of such bad news, but that was the way it was. Somebody had to tell Misty, and at least this way the investigation could move quicker. She hoped Misty would be acquitted; she had a good career as a trainer ahead of her.

Misty stood up to say goodbye to Cynthia, but as soon as the older trainer had left the Pokémon Centre, she collapsed back into the chair, tears building in her eyes. Gary came over from where he had waited with Nurse Joy and sat next to her. He had spoken to the nurse and knew that Mistys trainers license was under review. He didn't speak, just drew her into his arms. As Misty cried into his chest he gently rubbed her back, and waited for her to cry out. Once she had he sat back and gently took the letter from her hand.

"Misty, what's this?"

"A letter… from the Pokémon Master…" came the quiet response.

Gary raised his eyebrow, and slid his thumb under the flap, opening it. He took the letter out and held it under Mistys eyes. She pushed at it, but he persisted.

"Misty. You know you have to read this."

"I don't want to."

"Fine. I'll read it then. Somebody has to."

Before Gary could even unfold it, Misty had snatched it from his hands.

"You'll do no such thing Gary Oak. This is mine."

Gary leant back once again, smiling as he knew he had reignited some fire in the once hot-headed woman. Misty, unaware of how she had been manipulated, opened the letter and began to read.

_Dear Miss Waterflower_

_By now you will be aware that your trainer's license has been suspended. This is due to the incident in your match yesterday. For the duration of the suspension, I must inform you that to train your_ _Pokémon is a violation of the suspension and could result in the revocation of your license. Furthermore, an interview with you to discuss the events in the match, as well treatment of_ _Pokémon in general is required. Should you wish to submit any other evidence for your defence, this interview is the time, and it shall be reviewed. If there is anybody who you feel can add to this investigation, ask them to attend. Please present yourself at the Indigo Plateau in 2 days' time at noon._

_As to your Golduck, he is staying with my Pokémon and will be returned to you at the conclusion of the license suspension, and if your license is revoked he will be treated the same as the rest of your_ _Pokémon. If you have any further questions please contact the_ _Pokémon_ _League._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Champion_

_Pokémon Master_

Misty re-read the letter. And then again. She couldn't believe it. She had expected the letter to be condemning her behaviour, but she realised that the tone of it was utterly emotionless. She began to think about who she would ask to come with her on the day of the interview. Gary watched her change in attitude and stood up. Misty looked up at him.

"Where are you going?"

"To find the others. You're going to need some help planning a defence."

As Gary walked off, Misty looked back down again. She had planned to ask Gary to appear on her behalf, as his name held reputation as well as asking Brock whom she had known the longest. Something Gary had said then clicked. How did he know she needed a defence? She realized that he had read the letter over her shoulder whilst she was focusing on it. She shoved the letter into her pocket and ran out of the door after the figure that had started running as soon as he was out of sight.

* * *

Cynthia walked into 'Champions' office, again noting the door that opened for her of its own accord. Her boss sat behind his desk, typing whilst half a dozen files were open on his desk. Without looking up he gestured for Cynthia to take a seat, and typed furiously for a moment more. He then looked up, turned in his chair and faced her.

"Cynthia. What can I do for you?"

"I wondered if you have any more jobs for me."

'Champion' leaned back in his chair, staring at his subordinate.

"You don't understand what I require from you. I have plans for the League, and I cannot spend my time training anybody who asks nicely. Anybody with real potential I will train when strong enough, but otherwise I will not be public. My lack of a name reinforces this. So when you want to know if I have work for you, the answers no. You are autonomous. Anything I need you to do I'll tell you, but you don't need to be constantly checking in."

He turned back to his desk, and returned to his work, as the door swung open behind Cynthia. She took the hint and stood up to leave, heading out the door and into her own office. She turned to her own work, working out a route to travel through to find strong trainers. When she had worked out her tour she would release it to the press, challenging anybody who had potential. A smile worked its way over her face. She had passed the point of being upset over her defeat, and she was now working on her dream, to teach any upcoming Pokémon trainers.

* * *

Gary had managed to escape from Mistys fury and was now sat with her, Brock, Dawn and James to work out how to help her prove her innocence. The others had wanted to help but as Drew had pointed out, the ones there were some of the more influential in their group. The son of a world-famous Pokémon Professor who had made his own name , the top coordinator, a renowned Doctor and James who had built a great reputation as a skilful battler, and had given the Pokémon League information on Team Rocket after they quit. Suffice it to say, they thought these voices would be enough. They had returned to Pallet Town and were in Professor Oaks laboratory. The elderly researcher hadn't expressed his feelings on Mistys battle, but Gary had said he probably didn't approve. Regardless, they all knew that Misty wasn't a Pokémon abuser, and they had all planned to quote examples of when she had performed acts of the opposite nature. James even intended to dip back into his time with Team Rocket to find times when Misty had fought to save her Pokémon from being stolen. They were just finishing their plans when Gary leaned back in his chair and chuckled slightly. They all looked at him questioningly.

"Do you not find it ironic, that the one person we really need is the one person whose fault this is? I mean, face it Misty, it was Ashy-boys disappearance that drove you to be as strong as you are. I suspect you are the strongest Water-trainer around, Pokémon Master excepted. And the person who probably could find some stupid way to get you out of this is Ash."

James chuckled, but Brock and Dawn looked at each other waiting for the explosion. When it didn't come, they warily looked over at Misty who appeared surprisingly sedate.

"Yeah, true. He would be useful here. Pikachu? What would Ash say?"

"pika, pikachu" came the response from the mouse. He then gestured to himself. Misty blinked. Of course, she could use Pikachu as evidence. She had been the one that spent time looking after the Pokémon when he first returned. She knew that the fact she had taken him in was strong evidence in her favour.

"Thank you Pikachu." Misty grinned at the rodent who smiled back. "Of course we'll take you. Now, we'll head up in the morning on the day. I'm going to go and explain to my Pokémon the situation." She stood up and walked out, leaving Brock and Dawn slightly bemused about why she hadn't raged when Gary mentioned Ash.

* * *

Ash returned to his house, where his Pokémon were waiting for him. As he did every day he released the Pokémon he had been carrying with him, then went to make food for the rest. Once he had done so, he began to meditate whilst the Pokémon ate. After which they went for their usual run, and then began to train against each other. As Ash finished his meditation, his Pokémon finished their training, and went to rest. However, one Pokémon didn't rest with the other Pokémon. Espeon had followed him into his house, and curled up next to him, looking into his eyes and mewing softly. Her mind reached out and linked to her masters, releasing a soothing aura into his mind calmed by his meditation. Ash began to stroke her gently, causing her to purr before he started to talk.

"7 years since I left them Espeon. 7 years, and within days of my return I have to face one of my old friends in battle. Worse, I have to investigate her for Pokémon abuse. She will be fine, there is no history in her files. I'll talk to her and then restore her license unless something comes up. You know she's got stronger? Sharpedo was surprised at the strength of her team. If she was anybody else I would accept her as a student. But I can't. Not one of my old friends, I left them behind all those years ago, to reach my dream."

Espeon cut through his rambling by nudging his arm, causing Ash to chuckle. He felt a question form in the mental connection, prodding him.

"A deeper reason? Maybe. The Pokémon that left. If they returned to Pallet, I would struggle to face them, and my friends would have them. Even Pikachu..."

At this the usually unflappable trainer fell silent, his thoughts melancholy with the emotion of the loss. Espeon nudged him again, breaking that train of thought. That day was etched into the Sun Pokémons memory. She had never seen anything as broken as her master was as his companion from the start left. As Ash started meditating once again to calm himself Espeon let her mind wander back to that day. The day Pikachu left. The day something broke in her master. Even if it hadn't been traumatic, Espeon would have remembered it for the simple reason it was also the day she evolved.

_Flashback_

Eevee arched her back as she stretched after the run. It had been the longest one yet, nearly 12 miles long. She had only been with her trainer for a few weeks, with him saving her life and letting her stay with him. When he had offered to train her she had made a promise to herself never to fail him. She owed her master and would repay it. She just hadn't expected it to start so _hard._ His training was exhausting! She heard Totodile and Bulbasaur complaining as they finished the run, talking about following the others. Torkoal was the first, having left only a few days after Eevee arrived. She never got to know the Coal Pokémon. Then it was Kingler. Glalie, Donphan, Noctowl and Toreterra followed over the weeks. Now there were more planning on going. Eevee felt sorry for her trainer, his companions slowly abandoning him. She heard him call out, and turned her head to see Pikachu finishing his run with Ash striding towards him. There was a rumour among the Pokémon that Pikachu was considering leaving. The others had been allowed to go, with Ash not wanting to push any of his friends too hard, and the Mouse Pokémon was supposedly tired of the intense training. As the little electric rodent saw his trainer coming towards him and turned to move away. As Ash got near, Pikachu moved further away, causing Ash to stop and turn away again. He moved to the next part of the days training, head bowed to hide his face. However, Eevee had seen the hurt written there.

At the end of the days training in the early afternoon (done so that the Pokémon weren't always training and so that Ash could lengthen their training as time went on) Ash was still sat meditating, when Pikachu walked up to him. Ashs eyes snapped open, and he let Pikachu sit next to him. Eevee was sat eating with Bayleef, the grass type having taken a shine to the little Evolution Pokémon. Eevee looked up and saw Pikachu gesturing to Ash.

"Vee." she muttered to Bayleef, causing the latters head to snap up. They watched in silence as the gestures became more exaggerated, and the realization began to dawn on Ash. He held up a hand to silence Pikachu. The two Pokémon could see his lips move, but couldn't hear what he said. Ash then got up and strode away from the group. Pikachu turned back, going to his bowl and picked some food out.

Ash didn't return for nearly an hour. When he did there was something different. Both of his eyes were dark, nothing showing in them at all. He approached his Pokémon and raised his voice so they could all hear, the emotion clearly audible.

"Pikachu wants to leave. He feels the training is too tough for him, and knowing it will only get harder, he doesn't want to stay and endure it. He, like the others has decided to leave. Now, when we first got here I stood here and told you what we were doing. As a team, you all agreed. It has been 4 months since we started here. Since we got here I have committed myself to training both myself and you. Some of you think I have lost my younger self, am more reserved, am colder. To you I say remember our defeat. We knocked out two of his Pokémon. 5 years training made a mockery of. That is why I came out here to train, to get stronger. However, I will now ask you the same question I did at the start. You have seen what you're going to go through. I will be with you every step of the way, but if for any reason you feel unable to complete this, please step forward now. I will permit you to leave. However, if you stay I want this to be a commitment that you will be with me to the end. Take your time, make this decision. If you leave, I will not remember that you left. I will remember all the work you've done in the last 5 years, and I _will_ remember you."

Ash turned and walked away again, adopting a meditation position some 30 meters away. The Pokémon all looked at each other in shock, Pikachu the center of attention as they tried to work out what he meant. Eeevee walked away from the group, to watch from a distance. Her decision was easy, she would stay. Looking back over the group she guessed a few that would stay. Charizard was a given, he had already stomped away from the rest of the Pokémon. She suspected Bayleef wouldn't leave her beloved trainer. The rest, she was unsure. As time went on, she realized just how few were actually staying. And when they stood on the hill watching as almost every Pokémon Ash owned left him, she saw him crying. As her heart went out to her master, she felt a rush of power inside her. She began to glow white, causing her trainer to drop to his knee next to her. Under his cold, empty eyes she evolved into Espeon, shortly before the sun set. Ash looked at her, and saw determination in her eyes, determination to succeed and make him proud. When he looked back over the departing Pokémon, being led away by his first partner, he no longer felt the loss. He would miss Pikachu, but he had a team of Pokémon that he would still love. And his right eye suddenly lit up, showing energy in it once again.

_End Flashback_

Espeon turned her mind back to her master, whom she was still curled up against. Since that day she had rapidly become the Pokémon he was closest to. She had taught herself how to link to his mind to give a method of communication, and over the years she had always been the one that he turned to when he needed comfort. She reflected that she had taken on the role of Pikachu, although not replaced the electric-type in her masters heart. Regardless, she knew she had at least managed to drive him away from the pit of despair he nearly sank into. On the Day of Departure she had sworn to protect him. She blamed Pikachu for the changes in Ash, but she was still happy. Suddenly she was snapped out of her thoughts by him moving away. As he left the sofa he turned back and said a mere two words.

"Thank you." And he walked away.

* * *

"Hello, I'm Misty Waterflower, I have an appointment with the Pokémon Master."

Misty was somewhat nervous, standing in front of the receptionists desk at the Indigo Plateau. She knew the importance of this interview, if she failed to impress, she could have her training license revoked.

"Yes Miss Waterflower. The licence review. If you are your friends take the elevator up to the twelfth floor, you will be met there."

"Thank you."

Misty led Brock, James, Dawn and Gary towards the lift. Pikachu sat on her shoulder. As the elevator moved up, there was silence. Stepping out onto the specified floor, there was a corridor with a door at the end. Halfway down was an area with a series of chairs in, clearly a waiting area. As they began to move down the corridor, a voice was heard, although it wasn't clear where it was coming from.

"Gary Oak, please enter through the door at the end. Everybody else, please wait in the waiting area."

Gary looked at the rest, his eyebrows raised. The rest of the group did as ordered, leaving Gary to the fifteen metre walk alone. As he neared the door it opened, revealing the office inside. He stepped through, noting the simplicity inside. There was a large desk with a computer on it. A pile of folders lay next to a telephone and there was a chair either side of the desk. The lack of decorations added to the simplicity of the room, as well as its imposing nature. There was nowhere to hide here. The man behind the desk was wearing black once again, dressed in the clothes that were becoming his trademark as Pokémon Master. Black boots, trousers, shirt and jacket. A hat once again covered his eyes, leaving his face hidden in shadow. He had a presence that intimidated Gary. He gestured for Gary to take a seat opposite him, and the young researcher obliged.

"So, why is Miss Waterflower innocent? I presume you have something to tell me."

Gary was slightly taken aback at the direct question, but quickly launched into his story.

"I have known Misty for twelve years, with her originally travelling with a rival of mine. In the time I've known her I have never seen her do anything against Pokémon. Recently I have started helping her train, so that she can be stronger. When she trains her Pokémon she never pushes them too hard. She frequently visits my grand-fathers lab in Pallet, and he checks over her Pokémon, pronouncing them to be in extremely good health. I have a letter from him confirming this."

Gary pulled out the letter, and handed it over. 'Champion' took it, opened it and glanced down it. He turned back to Gary.

"He says that the Pokémon are fit and healthy. However, as the Cerulean Gym leader for most of her career, she may not have had to push them? They only get hurt when she has to."

"No! She would never hurt her Pokémon! She…"

"She hurt her Golduck when she faced me. How do you know she didn't do it at other times on her fourteen months travelling?"

Gary was about to protest that she hadn't, but then he realized he didn't know. He knew in his heart that Misty was innocent, but the questions he was asked made him realize how hard it was going to be to prove it. He had seen Misty with Ash, and the concern she showed then but…

"Do you have anything else to add?"

Gary bowed his head, feeling sick to his stomach as he muttered. "No."

* * *

In the waiting area there was a tense silence as they waited for the results of Gary's interview. Suddenly the voice echoed out once again.

"Dawn Hikari, please enter through the door at the end."

Dawn paled suddenly, and looked terribly nervous. Before she could go anywhere she felt a hand on her arm. James was smiling at her, a warm smile that gave her confidence. She moved with more confidence as she headed towards the door, but she saw Gary coming out looking terrible. He had only been there for five minutes, but he looked like he had just run a marathon. He sat back down next to Misty and leaned back in his chair looking at the ceiling. Dawn turned and headed in.

"So, Miss Hikari, your evidence?"

"In the time I've known Misty I've worked very closely with her, improving both my style and hers. This has been going on for the last 5 years. In that time my Piplup has gotten very close to many of her Pokémon. As a result, I feel you should ask him how he feels Misty treats Pokémon."

Dawn held up the Pokéball of her starter, and released him. The Penguin Pokémon landed on the desk, looking up at the man in front of him. He began to chatter quickly, before 'Champion' held up a hand. He leaned forward to look Piplup in the eyes, and then gestured for Piplup to continue. At the end of the stream of chatter, he leaned back in his chair. Then still focused on the Penguin he started to ask questions.

"Training length and exertion in a day."

"Piplup, pip, piplup."

"Break time."

"Piplup."

"Diet."

"Lup."

"Where does she get it from?"

"Lup, piplup."

"Thank you Piplup." He turned his attention back to Dawn. "Anything else?"

Dawn was staring at him. "Can you understand Pokémon?"

"Pretty much. It's in their expressions. Do you have anything else to add?"

"No."

* * *

James was next to go in, with Dawn looking happier than Gary had, although shaken. As he sat down, he was greeted the same question as the other two.

"Your evidence?"

"You may be aware that I used to be a member of Team Rocket." 'Champion' nodded. "I'm not proud of it, but for a long time my mission was to try and steal a particular Pokémon owned by a travelling companion of hers, Ash Ketchum. In the time that she travelled with him, she fought against us tooth and nail when we tried to steal Pokémon. A memory that I recall with particular clarity was in the Orange Islands. I was trying to get hold of some salveo weed for a team-mate of mine who had been hit by Stun Spore. I tried to attack a Poliwag to persuade it to help me get some, but Misty stepped in. As far as I'm aware, she hadn't a reason to defend the Pokémon, but she did anyway, despite the fact that her friends were also in danger from the Stun Spore. It was a selfless act made even better by the fact that she gave me some of the weed she had already collected. In fact, as far as I'm aware, that Poliwag trusted her so quickly that it is still part of her team."

"So she had a reason to fight for it?"

"I wouldn't have said that at the time. She would always fight for any Pokémon we were attacking, regardless of the circumstances. This is just the one I remember the best."

"Fine. Anything else?"

James couldn't help but think that his interviewer wasn't really convincing the Pokémon Master. However, they had all planned something to say and he had said his bit. So, hoping it had been enough, nodded, and stood to leave.

* * *

"I've known Misty for a long time. I've always wanted to be a breeder, and I looked after her Pokémon when they were injured. Now I'm a Doctor and I regularly check on her Pokémon for her, I can promise you that they are health." It was Brocks turn, and although he was intimidated by the Pokémon Master, but like the rest he refused it let it show.

"I will examine them myself, although your opinion is interesting. You would say she is a close friend?"

"Closest."

"So forgive me if I don't trust your opinion. I suspect you would do anything for her, and lying to me would be one small thing."

"What? I wouldn't lie!"

"I'm just stating a possibility. You have given me a testimony that is hard to prove or disprove. Therefore, whilst I will take it into account, I cannot make my decision based on it. I will do it on evidence. Do you have any of that to offer?"

"Aside from my professional opinion on the state of her Pokémon, no I don't."

* * *

"Miss Waterflower."

"You're the one overseeing this?" was all Misty could stutter out. It certainly explained why all her friends had seemed totally drained when they got out, she knew first-hand how intense he could was.

"I was the one who observed the event."

"How long till you make a decision?"

"Soon. Talk me through battle against me where Golduck went too far."

"I have had Golduck since it was a Psyduck. Back then it was a Pokémon that was stubborn, couldn't swim, and had a constant headache. However, after many years of working with him, he evolved into Golduck. However, he maintained his stubborn streak. Before I gave up my position as the Cerulean Gym Leader, I spoke to all my Pokémon, let them know what I was planning and seeing if they agreed. They did. All the training I did between now and then was what we had agreed on. The night before our battle I spoke to them once again, explaining what the opportunity was. I told them that if we were strong enough you might train us. They liked the idea, and they had promised to give it their all. They fought well against your Sharpedo, but were outclassed, I will admit that. Golduck has always had phenomenal endurance, and when he saw the scoreboard he realized that not a single one of your Pokémon had been beaten, and the one he faced didn't look like it had beaten 5 opponents already. He wanted to give it his all. I thought about recalling him after the Giga Impact, but I thought I still had a chance to impress you with his endurance. He was able to still battle at that point. When he was hit by Hyper Beam, I thought about recalling him. However, he wanted to continue, determined to climb back to his feet. The attack that finished him was his own. When I asked him if he could carry on, I wasn't expecting him to fire his own Hyper Beam. I should have recalled him, but he was refusing to lie down. I was angry at getting thrashed so I wasn't thinking clearly."

"So it was anger on your part? Coupled with loyalty from Golduck."

"Yes."

'Champion' stared at Misty for a moment, before turning to a file on his desk. He opened it and slid it over to Misty. She looked down at the top page, before turning back to him.

"What is this? It looks like a record from a hospital."

"It is. Cerulean Hospital. These are records from seven years ago. Each of these Pokémon were in critical care. The reason for each was a battle at the Cerulean Gym. Explain."

Misty looked back down thoroughly alarmed. It was true. There was nineteen Pokémon here, all who ended up in critical care over a six month period, all having been beaten by her. She had been furious when she heard about Ash's disappearance and she had taken it out on her challengers. The worst ones had been the slightly arrogant ones, or ones that tried to beat her using Pokémon who were weak against Water types. They reminded her of the friend that had vanished without telling anybody where he was going, and she let her Pokémon go all out. Gyarados had personally put over half in hospital. However this wasn't helping her case.

"Before this period started a friend of mine vanished. He had just lost a battle in the Sinnoh League and he was bitterly disappointed. He had come home, but I could tell that something was wrong with him. I wanted to take time off from the gym to stay with him, but he insisted that I went back, saying that he would come and visit me soon. Two days later he vanished, taking all his Pokémon and leaving a message explaining that he was leaving to train. I blamed myself for his departure and began to take it out on my opponents, especially any that reminded me of him. After a few months I sought some help and calmed down, no longer doing it to anybody else."

"So once again your anger got the better of you?"

"I suppose so."

The file was withdrawn and replaced by another. Misty looked at it and her heart skipped a beat. It was titled "Charicific Valley". She had gone there at the start of her training journey, to have her Pokémon practice facing fire types. She had been beaten by enough to know that she couldn't just assume that she could win by using a Water-Type and so had gone to train against the Charizard there. Liza had been interested by the idea and had asked the Charizard there if they were willing to do so. They had been, but as her team got stronger they had finally faced one of the strongest Charizard in the valley and had slaughtered him. A few of the other Charizard had tried to support the one that Misty had fought, but her team was too strong. With the type –advantage, she had wiped the floor with them and caused some serious injuries. She then tried to help treat them but was attacked. Finally Liza took her out of the valley. Evidently he had found out about this particular event. Misty explained this to her interviewer, and was greeted with a nod from 'Champion'.

Three more files came, each on a time when Misty had caused Pokémon to be hurt at various times over the years. Each time she explained it, and was greeted by a nod. At the end of the files, Misty felt drained. She hadn't expected him to be able to find out all these things about her. However, the sixth file shocked her the most. It was titled "Shamouti Island".

"Care to explain what happened here?" 'Champion asked.

"It… The friend who left, his name was Ash Ketchum. He was made the Chosen One for a ritual on Shamouti, but a Pokémon Collector, Lawrence III tried to capture the legendary birds Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno. He wanted them to force another Pokémon, Lugia out so he could capture it. I helped Ash fight against Lawrence, and eventually restore the balance."

This was greeted with a nod by 'Champion' who then took the file back, placing it on the pile, before looking back to Misty and asking his last question.

"Do you have anything to add?"

Misty was about to shake her head, but then she remembered something. "I have a Pokémon with me, that isn't mine. He belonged to Ash, but he came back 4 months after Ash vanished. After a few days he came to spend time with me. And I looked after him. He is in excellent health, and I thought I could show him to you as proof that I look after other Pokémon.

"No. He was the Pokémon of a close friend, so you would obviously treat him well. Having travelled with him, I would be shocked if you didn't."

"But he came all this way, and I don't want to disappoint him. I would probably regret it."

"Very well. I'll call him."

There followed a few seconds silence before the door swung open and a yellow mouse darted in. He leaped up onto Misty's shoulder and looked questioningly at her. Misty gestured to 'Champion' who sat in shock as he saw his partner once again. For once he was unable to speak. The little mouse looked at him, but Ash no longer smelled like he did. Over the years his smell had changed, and without being able to see his eyes Pikachu had no way of telling that this tall imposing man was the same as the kind-hearted trainer he had loved. So he obediently hopped onto the desk and presented himself for inspection. Recovering, 'Champion leaned forward in his chair to look at the Pokémon, before turning back to Misty, grateful for the changes in his voice that hid his identity.

"He is very healthy. Appears to be stronger than most Pikachu. Look after him."

He then stood walked to a door set in a different wall to the one that Misty had come through. It led to a flight of stairs, which he gestured to. Misty followed him down the stairs, and was surprised when it opened out into a large training area. She was led over to a pool, where it was obvious Water- Pokémon would train. 'Champion' turned to her.

"Release your Pokémon."

Misty took out five Pokéballs and threw them, allowing her Pokémon to appear. Gyarados came out with his usual roar, which he rapidly subdued once he realized what situation they were in. Before Misty could talk to them, 'Champions' voice rang out.

"Line up. I need to inspect you."

They did as ordered, and 'Champion' walked along in front of each of them, looking carefully at each one, as well as using his aura to inspect them. As he passed Dewgong on the end he turned back to Misty.

"You may recall them."

He then turned and strode back towards his office, Misty hurrying to recall her Pokémon then follow him. As they reached the office, sat behind his desk and returned to his computer, typing quickly. As he finished Misty heard a ping from her Pokédex. She took it out and looked at it, Pikachu peering over her shoulder to see the screen.

'_License restored to full status. An official warning has been attached.'_

Misty breathed out, feeling tension leave her. 'Champion' held out his hand, with a Pokéball in it.

"Golduck. He is, like the rest of your Pokémon, very strong. Look after them Miss Waterflower."

Misty took the Pokéball, still in a trance, not believing that it had happened so quickly. She was clear. The warning was fair, and she could go and train. Behind her the door swung open, and 'Champion' stood up, holding his hand out again. Misty took it, and turned to leave suddenly turning back.

"Thank you. For the speed which you came to a decision. And for a fair hearing. Though I confess, I was surprised at your questions, you researched me thoroughly."

"It's my job Miss Waterflower."

"But thank you nonetheless."

And Misty turned and headed down the corridor to tell her friends the good news. She was congratulated with Dawn in particular being emotional, and they all headed back to Pallet Town. It wasn't agreed on, but somehow nobody felt quite up to discussing the events in their individual interviews, as the questioner dissected their arguments and made them question their judgments. Everybody was wondering why she was acquitted, but Misty suspected she knew. The questions she had been asked in her interview made her realize how well she had been researched. The Pokémon Master was just making sure she was what everybody said she was.


	5. Chapter 5

_"It has been a month since the new Pokémon Master was crowned, and he has completed to obligatory months battling anybody who wishes to test themselves. There has been a record low number of challengers, with only 4 trainers testing themselves. Now we wait to see what the Master, known only as 'Champion' will do. He promised a review of all the gyms so that is expected, but the only thing that can be truly said about 'Champion' is that he does the unpredictable"_

Samuel Fenandez turned off the TV, before dashing downstairs. As he reached the bottom he jumped, sliding in his socked feet across the wooden floor, coming to a stop right next to the table in the kitchen. His father looked up from the paper he was reading.

"Sam, don't do that, you'll fall and hurt yourself."

"Let him be Denis, you know how excited he is today." Denis Fenandez looked across the room to where his wife was cooking a breakfast. Today was their sons 10th birthday, which means that he would be able to go to Professor Elm's laboratory in New Bark Town and pick a starter Pokémon. As Sam wolfed down his breakfast, his parents watched him fondly. He had been looking forward to this day for months, and they were proud to watch him. He hadn't been entirely sure what he would do in his career, but a month earlier he had been inspired to become a battler by the new Pokémon Master. It was amusing when they thought about it that his journey would start on the day that his idol would finally start in his role after the obligatory month of battling.

After he had finished his breakfast, Sam grabbed his bag and said goodbye to his parents. Outside he started to walk towards Professor Elm's lab. He had only gone a couple of streets when a figure slammed into him from the side. Sam was knocked off his feet into a grassy area to the side of the road, with the figure lying on top of him. Groaning, Sam looked into a pair of green eyes. Pushing the figure off he rolled to his feet and held out a hand to his childhood friend Mellanie Rigger. She grinned up at him, before taking his hand and allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.

"Did you really have to do that Mellanie?"

"Just wanted an exciting way to say hello."

"So you sent me flying? Reeeaaaal mature" said Sam, sticking his tongue out as he brushed his black hair out of his eyes.

"Coming from you?" Mellanie retorted. They held each others gaze for a moment before bursting into giggles.

"Come on." Mellanie said, grabbing Sam's hand. "Lets go get our starters."

As the young girl dragged the poor boy towards the lab, they saw a large red dragon race over their head. They stopped and stared in awe at the Pokémon as it vanished over the hill. Mellanie turned to Sam.

"Isn't the lab over that hill? That Pokémon couldn't be headed there could it?"

Sam gasped as a memory hit him. "That Pokémon... It reminds me of one that 'Champion' had." Ignoring his companion's groan, Sam pressed on. "It's a Charizard, the evolution of a Kanto starter. Its owner must be a powerful trainer; I'd love to meet him."

"You think a powerful trainer would talk to a newbie like you?" Mellanie teased. "I mean, you don't even have a Pokémon yet."

"Neither do you!" retaliated Sam. "Anyway, I'm going to be a better trainer than you!"

"You wish" Mellanie grinned, before skipping away up the road again. "Anyway, hurry up or he'll be gone, if he really did land at the lab." She burst out laughing as Sam suddenly started sprinting after her.

* * *

Charizard landed in the fields outside the laboratory, and a figure dressed in black slid off his back. He patted the dragon's snout before holding out a Pokéball, and returning the Flame Pokémon. He strode to the entrance of the lab, letting himself in. As he entered, he stopped and looked around the room, observing the mess. He began to wander through, looking at some of the files that had been left lying around, before finally finding Professor Elm, his head buried in yet another pile of paper. The man coughed, causing Professor Elm to wave his hand dismissively. Hidden by his hat, the figures eyebrow raised in surprise. He turned and began to walk back through the lab, letting himself through a door before he stopped once again. In front of him were three small Pokémon that he recognized. A Cyndaquil, a Totodile and a Chikorita. The man observed them, noting their health. He reached into a pocket inside his jacket and took out some food, which he threw to the three Pokémon. He watched with an amused eye as they sniffed it before tasting it, then devouring what he had given them. The Chikorita ran towards him, using its leaf to rub against the man's leg, with the Cyndaquil nudging the other leg. The Totodile watched him slightly more reserved than the other two. The man then gestured to the door, and turned to walk back through it. He strode back through the lab, the three Pokémon following him, till they were outside. When outside he took the Pokémon to the side, around the corner, knelt and started to question them about their care when they were at the laboratory.

When Sam and Mellanie finally reached the lab, they hurried to the door, not seeing the man around the corner. They went inside, and after some effort, finally managed to get Professor Elm's attention. However, when they were shown to where their new Pokémon were waiting, they were surprised to see three empty Pokéballs. The Professor, having tried to release all three was at a loss, and the two youngsters were beginning to realize that they wouldn't be able to start their journeys when they heard a voice behind them.

"Trainers will soon take you away from here. As for your treatment, I know the Professor has good intentions, he just gets very easily distracted. He will improve on this, or he will be replaced."

Professor Elm gulped. There was only one Professor around, and getting distracted sounded very much like him. He, Sam and Mellanie turned towards the door, which slid open as Ash strode through, talking over his shoulder to the three Pokémon behind him. Squeals of delight came from the two youngsters, as they saw the Pokémon that they would be receiving, but as Sam began to move forward to get a closer look, a cold voice stopped him, very different from the caring voice they had heard a moment before.

"Wait."

Ash moved past the stunned trio, before picking up the three Pokéballs, and returning each of the Johto Starters. He then turned to Professor Elm, and gave a simple command.

"Get the Pokédexes." As the Professor, realizing that he was in serious trouble hurried to do as ordered by the Pokémon Master, Ash turned to the youngsters.

"Here to get starter Pokémon?" They both nodded, in awe of the man who by now they had both also recognized. "Very well. Since Professor Elm is busy, I will issue you with them. There are three, Cyndaquil, the Fire-type, Totodile the Water-type or Chikorita, the Grass-type. Do you know which you want?"

Mellanie nervously stepped forward. "I... I err... I would like Totodile please sir."

Sam was still shell-shocked, and wasn't responding even when nudged by Mellanie. Ash looked at him, before handing a Pokéball to Mellanie, and releasing the two Pokémon held in the other two. Cyndaquil looked at Sam and then back at Ash before sitting down to watch his potential new trainer. Chikorita hid behind Ash's leg. The sight of the two Pokémon shook Sam, and he knelt next to Cyndaquil. The Fire-type accepted his petting, before nuzzling his new trainer. Wordlessly, Ash returned Chikorita and then handed Cyndaquil's Pokéball to Sam. As he did so, Professor Elm came rushing back in with a pair of Pokédexes. Ash gestured for him to give them to the new trainers, and stepped back.

"These are your Pokédexes." Professor Elm started. "They will be able to give you information on any Pokémon you see as well as being your licenses to show you are allowed to capture and train Pokémon. Don't lose them."

Sam and Mellanie nodded, still in awe of seeing the Pokémon Master. Professor Elm then handed them five Pokéballs each. "These are Pokéballs, they hold Pokémon. Your Cyndaquil and Totodile have their own Pokéballs. Any questions before you head on your way?"

This time the two new trainers shook their heads.

"Good. In that case, I suggest you head on your way, and if you have any trouble please call the lab."

As the two trainers started to leave, Sam summoned up his courage before turning back to Ash.

'Sir, can I have your autograph?"

Ash just looked at the new trainer, causing him to stutter on. "I mean...I'm a fan, I watched all your battles and..."

"What did I say in my inauguration speech?"

"You said... you said that if any trainers felt they were among the best worldwide you would train them, and you would restructure the Pokémon League, encouraging the gym leaders to take a more active role in training new trainers."

"What was the fourth Pokémon my third challenger used?"

"He used a Fearow, but it was defeated by your Charizard."

"Do you have nothing better to do with your life?"

Seeing how Sam was getting his questions answered, Mellanie stepped in.

"Its true sir, he talks about nothing else, and hasn't done for a month now."

"Unfortunately, I don't do autographs. However, I will have you watched whilst you journey, if you are strong enough, you will be invited to train with some very powerful trainers. I sense potential in you, I urge you to fulfill it."

Ash then turned and strode out of the room, deeper into the Pokémon laboratory, leaving Professor Elm to show the two trainers out.

Once they had left, the Professor walked back into the lab to talk to his renowned guest. He found 'Champion' reading a report that had been left on a desk. As he came in, 'Champion' put the report down and turned to the Professor.

"This will be brief Professor Elm. I am reviewing the roles of everybody affiliated with the Pokémon League. Since I got here I have been disappointed with what I have seen. You are a researcher, but you are also responsible for the trainers who are based in the Johto Region. Whilst I do not doubt your research credentials, but your ability to organize the trainers of this region is lacking. The fact that you failed to notice the Pokémon in your care leaving suggests that you are not able to focus sufficiently on them. If this was a first offence I would consider overlooking it, but it is not. As a result, you are hereby replaced as the presiding researcher of the Johto Region, effective immediately. This laboratory is the property of the Pokémon League, and as such will be required for your replacement. You will be expected to have vacated the premises within three days. The Pokémon currently under your care will be sent to a centre until your replacement moves in."

'Champion' turned on his heel and strode out of the lab, leaving Professor Elm to recover from what just happened. As the words of the Pokémon Master hit him, he sunk to his knees, before turning to the laboratory. He now had to start clearing his belongings out, and find out who his replacement was so he could try to use their lab when they took his.

* * *

Cynthia noticed a message appearing on her computer as she got into work. It was the first day after 'Champion' had departed on his tour of the regions to review the various members of the Pokémon League. The message was surprisingly from her boss. Cynthia opened it, scanned it and froze. The message was simple, only a single line.

"Inform Prof. Rose that she is Prof. Elm's replacement. Effective immediately."

Cynthia hadn't expected such rapid results from his review, but having known Professor Elm she wasn't surprised that he was the first casualty. She picked up her phone, and called Professor Rose, a young and upcoming professor that she got on very well with. As she did so she wondered if her relationship with Rose was the reason for her selection. She had certainly topped the shortlist that she had provided 'Champion', the Pokémon Master having asked for a list of trainers who could take over a gym of any type as well as Professors that could manage a region. Cynthia was snapped back to the present by the sound of her friend's voice in her ear.  
"Hello? Rose? How do you fancy a change of scene?"

* * *

"Pidgeot, Aerial Ace!"

"Snubbull, Take Down!"

The Bird Pokémon swerved around the charging bulldog, and then caught it on its side. Snubbull was sent skidding across the field, and before its trainer could give another order, Gym Leader Falkner gave his last order.

"Hyper Beam".

Pidgeot swooped around, before firing an orange beam out of its beak, which caught Snubbull, knocking him out in a large explosion. Falkner recalled his Pokémon, and walked across the field to shake his opponents hand.

"That was a good battle. You are a powerful trainer."

"Not good enough to defeat you though" the defeated trainer said sullenly.

Falkner laughed. "Kid, I've been training for more than a decade. I also train a whole cadre of Flying-Pokémon trainers. There is nothing about them I don't know. You are young; you'll beat me eventually. I used my most powerful Pokémon against you, and you still nearly won. Not all trainers face these. When you win your Zephyr Badge it will mean even more. "

As the trainer left, Falkner stood on the gym roof, where the battlefield was, looking out over Violet City. He turned to go back inside, but there was a man leaning on a wall. Falkner instantly recognized 'Champion', the man who was the Pokémon Master. He strolled across the gym field, to lean on the wall next to 'Champion', before turning to him and asking him the obvious question.

"The review?"

'Champion' merely nodded, before handing the Gym Leader a piece of paper. It had various categories marked on it. Falkner read down it, before realizing that the Pokémon Master had been in his gym for some time.

_Battling: Pass_

_Teaching: Pass_

_Overall. Pass_

The gym leader turned back to the Pokémon Master who was watching him.

"So I pass?"  
"Yes. You're record as a gym leader is exceptional and your cadre of trainees are of a high standard. What I have seen today is confirmation of that."  
"What now?"  
"Carry on. You shouldn't see me again."

As he finished speaking, a large red Pokémon landed next to 'Champion', who swung up around the creatures neck. The Charizard took to the sky, heading in the direction of Azalea Town.

* * *

Over the next week, the remaining Johto Leaders were reviewed. Bugsy passed with flying colors, as did Morty, Chuck, Jasmine and Clair. However, two of the Johto leaders had issues. Neither Whitney nor Pryce taught trainers. As a result, they both failed their leader reviews, and were replaced by leaders from Cynthia's shortlist. Neither leader had taken it particularly well, but their pleas had fallen on deaf ears. 'Champion' refused to listen to pleas, and merely ordered them out of their gyms, so that their replacements could move in without upsetting any trainers who wished to challenge for the badges. Whitney had been the first to be replaced. She had been tearful when ordered out, but had eventually been forced to move back to the Miltank Farm outside Goldenrod City. However bad her reaction was, compared to Pryce it was very subdued.

When 'Champion' told Pryce that he was expected to pass on his experience, and his failure to do so discounted him from being a Gym Leader, he had flown into a rage. Shouting at the Pokémon Master, he had claimed that he would never be moved from his gym, having given his life to it. What had followed had terrified passers-by.

_"I will never be thrown out of my gym. This is my life, my everything."_

_"It was. Now you are being replaced."_

_"You have no right!"_

_"Wrong. I have the right."_

_Pryce had been arguing with the stubborn_ _Pokémon__ Master for nearly fifteen minutes, but he had __made no progress. Realizing that he wouldn't win the argument, he turned back into his gym and slammed the door, shouting through it that he would never give up. 'Champion' hadn't bothered to respond, merely striding to the doors and pulling on them, to confirm that they were locked. By this point a news crew had arrived and were filming everything. In front of the world, 'Champions' Charizard forcibly opened the doors to the gym, before picking up Pryce and carrying him out. __The Ex-Gym leader was deposited on the ground outside his gym, where he was about to stand up before the dark figure of the_ _Pokémon__ Master stood over him._

_"Pryce. By the power invested in me as Pokémon Master, I hereby remove you from the rank of Gym Leader. Your refusal to cooperate means that I have no choice but to ban you from any future affiliation with the_ _Pokémon__ League. Do not attempt to enter this gym again, it no longer belongs to you."_

_With that, 'Champion' had recalled his Charizard and strode away, leaving Pryce to contemplate the ruins of his career. The news crew had tried to get an interview from both men, but Pryce ignored them, and Champion had gone._

Back in Kanto, Misty was spending a few days with Brock in Pewter City before returning to training. They had been watching the news when they saw Pryce being removed. They were absolutely shocked at the cruel nature of 'Champion', his lack of remorse as he removed a man who had devoted his life to his gym. Their reaction was one mirrored across the Pokémon World. Whilst 'Champion' was technically working within his remit, he was taking it to an extreme. He had promised reviews of all gym-leaders. Both Brock and Misty feared for the gyms that they were affiliated with, as Brock's father Flint had remained the Pewter City gym leader whilst Daisy had taken over being the Cerulean City gym leader when Misty had wanted to tour the world. Neither gym had any trainees there at all, and as a result, the leaders could be thrown out just as Pryce had been. They both began to work on ways to avoid such a calamity.

* * *

Sam and Mellanie had reached Violet City, where they intended to battle against Falkner. Sam had chosen to go first, and whilst Falkner had easily defeated his Sentret, but had struggled against the Ghastly sent out, and then Sam's Cyndaquil had defeated Falkners Pidgeotto winning the 3 on 3 match. Mellanie had offered to give Falkner a day to recover from the battle, which he had accepted, so the two trainers were returning to the gym the following day in order for Mellanie to try to win the Zephyr Badge.

Falkner met them both on the roof, shaking Mellanie's hand before showing her to the field. They took their places, with Falkner choosing his Pokémon first.

"Hoothoot, your up".

"Poliwag, come on out"

"Hoothoot, Peck"

"Poliwag, Bubble"

Hoothoot swept down, but was forced back into the sky by bubbles from Poliwag. The Owl Pokémon tried twice more, but each time was forced back into the sky, causing Falkner to change his strategy.

"Hoothoot, Confusion"

"Poliwag, dodge"

Hoothoot's eyes glowed, and he fired waves of attacks at Poliwag who succeeded in dodging them all. Falkner was starting to get irritated, whilst Sam was trying not to grin at watching his friends style.

"Hoothoot, Air Slash!"

Hoothoot charged in with another attack, determined to make sure this didn't miss, but Mellanie was ready for it.  
"Poliwag, Bubblebeam!"

As the Owl Pokémon came near, it was caught in a stream of bubbles that forced it to the ground. Before it could recover, Poliwag was on it, beginning a vicious Doubleslap attack. Hoothoot finally managed to get away, but not before it had been visibly hurt by the attack, whilst Poliwag remained fresh. Falkner gritted his teeth in anger, before ordering the next attack.

"Hoothoot, Take Down"

Hoothoot went into a steep dive, but as it came close to Poliwag, Mellanie gave her final command.

"End it with Water Gun!"

Unable to dodge at such close range, Hoothoot was sent crashing into the ground. As the dust cleared, his eyes were replaced by swirls, leaving Falkner to return his Pokémon, before replacing it instantly.

"Dodrio, revenge time."

Mellanie recalled her Poliwag to replace it with Geodude. Falkner gritted his teeth, knowing that he would be lucky to win this match-up, and another defeat would give Mellanie the victory.

"Dodrio, Tri Attack"  
"Geodude, dodge"  
"Peck"  
"Defence Curl"

As each of the three heads fired a beam, Geodude merely dropped under them, before curling into a ball to endure the follow up.

"Dodrio, Fury Attack, and don't let up."

"Geodude, stay curled up"

The three headed bird continued his furious pecking, but was making no progress against the stubborn defence of Geodude. Now fuming at the girls ability to counter his every move, Falkner pressed for an attack that would actually do some damage.

"Dodrio, Drill Peck"

"Geodude, Rollout."

As Dodrio stopped its pecking, its three beaks began to spin rapidly. However, as it struck forward, it found its target had rolled away. As Dodrio began to chase after it, Geodude doubled back round and smashed into Dodrio, sending it skidding back across the field. As Dodrio recovered, Geodude smashed into him once again, and again. After the fourth collision, Dodrio failed to get up, and Geodude stopped his rolling.

Falkner recalled his Dodrio, before stepping out across the field. Winning two battles was enough to win the Zephyr Badge, and he congratulated Mellanie, handing her the badge, before returning into his gym to train.

* * *

"Good win Mellanie. Seriously, that was impressive."

"Thank you Sam" responded the girl, smiling at him. They were heading towards the Sprout Tower, something that they both wanted to see before they headed on to Azalea Town.  
"But why didn't you use Totodile? Surely he wanted to fight?"

"He did, but he fought those trainers outside the city. I wanted Poliwag to get some experience, and Geodude was a no brainer. If either of them lost, Totodile was ready for his last Pokémon."  
Sam was about to respond when the tower loomed in front of them. Heading through the door, they smiled at the men on the ground floor, before heading up the tower. On the first floor they were stopped by a man who challenged them to a battle. Mellanie was about to step forward when she felt a hand on her arm. Sam was smiling at her, holding out a Pokéball.  
"I've got this Mellanie."

Another man stepped out next to the first. "How about we make it a double battle?" the newcomer suggested, holding out his own Pokéball.

"Very well, Cyndaquil, let's go!" Sam said, grinning as his fire starter materialized.

"Totodile, fight!" called Mellanie.  
The two men looked at each other, before releasing a Bellsprout each. Mellanie noticed them both watching her and realized that she was about to be targeted. Sam had also realized it, but it made him grin. If they thought they could trap Totodile, they were very much mistaken. He himself had been beaten by Mellanie's style of countering opponents.

"Bellsprout, Vine Whip"

"Razor Leaf"

"Totodile, left, then under, followed by water gun"

Totodile moved as ordered, avoiding the Vine Whip from one Bellsprout, before firing its water gun to knock down the leaves of the other. Before the two men could react, Sam jumped in.

"Cyndaquil, Ember"

The Fire Mouse Pokémon fired an ember attack that smashed into one of the Bellsprout, with the power of it knocking the Flower Pokémon out. Cyndaquil turned its attack on the other Bellsprout, but it managed to dodge, before being caught by a Bite attack from Totodile. As it tried to throw the Water-type away, Cyndaquil fired again, this time catching it and knocking it out. The two men recalled their Pokémon, before stepping into the recesses of the tower wordlessly. Sam and Mellanie exchanged glances, before heading further up the tower.

They stopped for a short while two floors up, watching the swaying of the inside of the tower, before they climbed up one more. As Sam climbed off the stairs with Mellanie behind him, he realized that the floor he was on was very dark. He was about to call out his Cyndaquil to give some light when he was grabbed from behind. Mellanie screamed, but it was cut off as a hand clamped over her mouth and she was hauled further into the darkness of the tower.

* * *

In Petalburg City, Caroline Maple picked up the ringing phone.

"Hello, Petalburg Gym."

"Mum? Its me, May."

"May, its wonderful to hear from you. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Have you seen the news? About Pryce?"

"Pryce who dear?"

"Mum, it's the Pokémon Master. He is removing Gym Leaders that do not have any trainees at their gym. Leaders who do nothing but work to defend their badge, ignoring the responsibilities that he demands. Gym Leaders like Dad."

"Don't be ridiculous dear, he can't just remove your father."

"Mum, he can, Pryce, a Johto leader, was thrown out of his gym and forbidden from returning. The same could happen to Dad!"

"May, your father is not going to be removed as a gym leader. He is one of the strongest in Hoenn, there is no way he could be replaced."

"Mum, you don't understand. This man is heartless. He obliterated Misty, and nearly caused her to have her license revoked. Pryce had his career ended because he opposed his removal. Warn Dad, he needs to get some trainees quickly, or he will be replaced."

Caroline put the phone down, not believing the danger. She looked out the window, to see a large red dragon flying towards the gym. Assuming it was a trainer to challenge her husband, she started to cook lunch for after the battle.

* * *

Charizard flew through the air, before descending to outside the Petalburg Gym. Ash slid off his back, landing on his feet just outside before recalling the Flame Pokémon. It had been a long time since he had stood here. He knew that the gym before him would not live up to the standards that he demanded, and knew that he would have to remove the Maple family. The Ash of some years ago would have been shocked at such a callous act, but the new Ash merely took it in his stride. Over his seven year absence he had hardened significantly towards people. The Hoenn Gyms were potentially the toughest, yet more than one of them would fail his review because they did not fulfill the criteria. He had reviewed each Gym in his month at Indigo Plateau, and he knew which ones would not match up.

Ash strode up to the door of the Petalburg Gym and swung it open. Inside was Normal Maple, having a practice match with his son, Max. Ash stepped in, to watch, as Norman's Slaking overpowered the Raticate that the youngest Maple was using. Recalling his beaten Pokémon, Max thanked his father, before heading into the house. Norman recalled Slaking, and was about to follow when a voice stopped him.

"Gym Leader Norman. You should know why I am here."

Spinning around, Norman saw Ash standing in his gym. His eyes widened in surprise, before he thought back to the inauguration speech some weeks ago. As realization hit him, he nodded.

"A review. I think you will find that my gym record speaks for itself."

"In that you are correct. However, there are two aspects to my review. Your battling record, and your contribution to teaching new trainers. You are an admirable battler, but you do not teach."

"Yet with my battling record, surely you could accept that I could change? I have two children and have taught both of them. One is now a powerful trainer, the other an admirable coordinator, even if she is taking a break."

"Your battling is not exceptional. You are not irreplaceable."

"You will not find a trainer stronger than me."

As soon as the words left Norman's mouth, he knew he had made a mistake. The change in the posture of the Pokémon Master was enough to warn him.  
"Nobody stronger than you? Beat me in a 2 on 1 battle, and perhaps I'll believe you."

Norman gulped. He may not keep up with all the news, leading a particularly busy life, but he did know that he didn't stand a chance against this man. He didn't know about Pryce's removal, but he had realized that his job might genuinely be on the line. However, if he backed out, he knew that he would almost certainly be removed, and so he took his place in the gym leader box, before throwing out two Pokéballs.

"Slaking, Vigoroth, battle stance."

The two normal types appeared, one lying on its side, the other dancing around like mad. Ash wordlessly threw a Pokéball towards the field, and a large red dragon appeared with a roar. Ash smirked under his hat, deciding to end the battle as quickly as possible.

"Flamethrower."

Before Norman could react, a torrent of flame raced across the field. Both of his Pokémon were caught in the flames, sending them flying to crash into the wall behind him. Norman looked around in shock as his Pokémon were taken out in a single attack. He looked back at the man in front of him who was recalling his Charizard.  
"You have three days to empty the house Norman. Your replacement will need it."

"What about my family?"

"Your children have moved out. You and your wife can find somewhere else to live."

With that he strode out of the room, leaving Norman to contemplate the loss of his career and his home.

* * *

Violet City Gym Leader Falkner strode into the Pokémon Centre late that evening. He went to the front desk where Nurse Joy was waiting for him, holding a tray containing three Pokéballs. He thanked her, took his Pokémon back and was about to leave when he noticed that she looked worried. Turning back, he asked what was wrong.

"It's these two kids" Nurse Joy said. "They went to visit the Sprout Tower hours ago, and haven't come back. I normally wouldn't worry, but they are young."

Falkner felt a sinking feeling. "Who are they?"

"Mellanie Rigger and Samuel Fernandez. They took a room for the night, but its late, and they aren't back yet and I'm worried about them"

"I'll go and have a look." The Gym Leader promised. "They've probably just got lost."  
But even as he said it, he knew that they hadn't. As he left the Pokémon centre he threw a Pokéball, jumping into the air, letting the bird Pokémon catch him on its back.

"Pidgeot, to the Sprout Tower."

As the Bird Pokémon reached the tower, Falkner released his Hoothoot to scout around, before landing on the top. Within a few minutes Hoothoot had returned, cooing into his trainer's ear. Falkner jerked around, to stare at his Pokémon who merely nodded. Falkner threw another Pokéball out, causing his Pidgeotto to appear.

"Pidgeotto, watch the entrance. If anybody leaves, come and get us." The bird nodded before flying away to watch. Falkner then turned to Pidgeot. "On my command, Whirlwind the tower."

Falkner then swung himself off the roof, letting himself drop a short way to a window below, Hoothoot clinging onto his shoulder to slow his descent. As he reached the window, he felt Pidgeot grab him as well, keeping him floating there. Falkner pushed at the window which opened silently, allowing him to land inside. Pidgeot flew away, and Hoothoot remained rooted to his trainer's shoulder. Falkner looked around at the dark insides of the tower, and took another Pokéball in his hand, before stepping forwards deeper inside.

Using Hoothoots ability to see in the dark, Falkner made quick progress through the tower, before he found a door in front of him. He pushed it open, stepping inside and shutting it again behind him. Out cold in front of him, and tied up were 5 young trainers, including the two he had been looking for. Before he could do anything to untie them, he heard voices through the door.

"This one's heavy"

"We should drug them after we take them nearer, give us less distance to walk."

"Yeah. Still, got a good haul tonight."

"6 trainers in one night, fair few Pokémon taken, dream job."

Falkner stepped back into the shadows, tightening his grip on the Pokéball in one hand, pulling another off his belt with the other. As the door opened, two men stepped in, carrying a teenager between them. The two men were both dressed in black clothes, each with a large red R on their chest. Team Rocket grunts, though they hadn't been seen for nearly four years. As they tossed the boy they'd been carrying into the room, Falkner stepped forward, throwing his Pokéballs. The first Pokémon had a crest of blue feathers from its head, extending down its back, with red chest feathers. The other had three heads, and brown feathers. The two grunts jumped back in surprise, reaching for Pokéballs, but Falkner got there first.  
"Quick Attack"

Swellow and Dodrio surged forward, crashing into the trainers and sending them into the wall. Falkner gestured to Swellow who perched herself on the chest of one grunt, glaring at him so he didn't move. Falkner grabbed the front of the shirt of the other grunt, hauling him up with Dodrio rearing behind him.

"How many of you are here?"

The grunt remained silent, causing Dodrio to snap one of its heads forward into the grunts shoulder. There was a scream from the grunt, before his head was snapped up to look at Falkner once again.  
"I'm not asking again, how many are you?"

"Go to hell"

Falkner looked him in the eye, before nodding to Dodrio and stepping back. Each head snapped out once, hitting both legs and then the man's other arm. As he screamed in pain, Falkner grabbed the front of his shirt again.

"I warned you" He dropped the man again, next to his team-mate, who still had Swellow on his chest. Falkner looked him in the eye, before asking him the same question. This time answers were more forthcoming.

"There are nine of us, including us two."  
"Where?"  
"Two downstairs. Anybody that beats them are the ones we want."  
"What are you doing?"  
"We get the trainers up here, grab them, take their Pokémon and then drug them. They won't be awake for hours. We'll be gone by then."

Falkner rocked back on his heels, thinking about what he'd heard. He then gestured to Swellow whose wing hit the edge of the man's head, knocking him out. The Gym Leader untied the trainers, and used the rope to tie up the two grunts, one of whom was still in absolute agony. He then pulled out his final Pokémon, releasing a Starly. He gave the small bird a note and ordered him to take it to Office Jenny. As Starly vanished through the tower, Falkner sent Hoothoot out to find the remaining Team Rocket members. He knew he didn't have long till they noticed the others hadn't come back, even if they hadn't heard the screams. Within minutes Hoothoot returned once again, and Falkner started to run.

As he neared a room, Hoothoot hooted into his ear. Falkner nodded, and moved towards it, Dodrio and Swellow on his heels. As he reached the door, he threw it open, taking the five Team Rocket members by surprise. Swellow and Dodrio flew straight into the attack, knocking a Rocket down each. Each bird then grabbed the trainers Pokéball belts, relieving them of the Pokémon that they had, leaving him with three opponents. As they all pulled out Pokéballs, Falkner played his ace. Throwing his head back, he shouted as loudly as he could.

"Now Pidgeot!"

The bird who had kept his ear cocked for that shout ever since his trainer entered the building flapped his wings powerfully. The Whirlwind attack rocked the tower back and forth vastly exaggerating the natural swaying, and causing the Rockets to stumble. Falkner, ready for the shaking, darted forward, using the rope he had taken from the other trainers to tie hands behind the Rockets back, whilst his birds took their Pokéballs away from them. Only one of the Rockets managed to avoid Falkners Pokémon, and had backed up against a wall. He pulled out his Pokéballs, and threw it, revealing a Raticate.  
"Dodrio, Hyper Beam"

Before the Raticate was able to move, all three of the Dodrio's head fired orange beams at the Normal-Type, knocking it out with a single strike. Swellow surged across the room and used her talons to pin the trainer against the wall, as Falkner strode across the room. Falkner tied the final Rocket up, and left his Pokémon to watch them. As he went down the third floor, he found his Pidgeot sat with two more Rockets whom the Bird Pokémon had knocked out. Falkner hauled them up to the top floor to wait for Officer Jenny with the other Rockets.

* * *

After the Rockets had been arrested, Falkner put in a call to the Pokémon League. It was picked up by a receptionist, and he asked to be diverted to the Pokémon Master. Being a Gym-Leader, he was answered a few moments later by 'Champion'. Falkner proceeded to inform his superior of the resurfacing of Team Rocket, expecting to be ordered to keep watching them, potentially to see if they had a cadre based in Violet City. Instead he was bombarded with questions, regarding how they were discovered, their aims, and how many he had captured. Falkner answered as many as possible, and then confirmed that they were now in Officer Jenny's custody, so could be questioned further there. As the call ended, he returned to the Pokémon Center to visit the trainers that he had rescued, thinking about the degree of interest that the Pokémon Master was taking in the resurgence of Team Rocket. He hadn't expected such an immediate response. As he reached the Center, he pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind and strode through the doors.

* * *

**A/N**

**Once again, I feel I should respond to a few of the reviews. It also give me an opportunity to thank those of you who are following this, and to especially thank those who are reviewing. I'll probably get into the swing of doing this every couple of chapters (Which I'm going to try to keep coming every few days, time permitting) Anyway, please keep reading and reviewing, it gives me something to think about whilst I write. I particularly enjoyed the guy who reviewed in Spanish after reading a story in English. To you, (who I will not name, but you shall be forever my Spanish friend) your more than welcome to review in any language Google Translate can translate for me, I am unfortunately not fluent in Spanish, but cheating is fun!  
I also want to apologize for not actually revealing the last two original team members, as well as the rest of Ash's team. They will come out eventually I promise, but I'm working my way there. **

**So, to answer some reviews:**

**WhiteEagle1985 - I honestly am not sure about romance. There might be some with the other characters, whether Ash will get any will depend on how I develop the story later. Don't count on it, but we'll see.**

**LightRayPearlshipper - She probably should. However, for plot reasons, she can't. You'll see soon.**

**Grassy Nol - Ash does not have psychic powers. His Espeon does, and they will be developed as the story goes on. He can use aura, but none of his friends were able to work that out as he moved Golduck. Potentially his aura is acting like psychic, but that's just the way its going to go I'm afraid. As to organizations... I think this chapter answers that one.**

**AFan - Snorlax is one of Ashs original Pokémon, so I won't reveal yet if his Snorlax is one of the Pokémon that decided to stay and train. You're welcome to speculate as to who they are, but the ones that did have reasons to do so. For example, Charizard is a Pokémon that had an overwhelming desire to get stronger, and Ash was providing a means.**

**Thecactusman - You're going to have to wait for me to write to find out what Ash will do I'm afraid!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Pokémon Master, 'Champion' has completed the first three regions of his review of the Pokémon League. He has replaced 9 out of the 24 gym leaders in Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh as well as replacing Professor Elm, the active researcher for Johto. Whilst his actions have been met with approval in the respect of improving the League, his methods are coming under question for being excessively harsh. The replacement of Gym Leader Pryce of Mahogany Town Gym in particular is coming under intense criticism for his forcible removal. Furthermore, the lack of notice being given leaves the replaced Gym Leaders with few places to go; they are apparently being forced to rely on friends and family until they can sort themselves out. Gym Leader Norman Maple of Petalburg Gym, another replaced leader, spoke of how he was ordered out of his home and had to move to a different region to stay with a family friend that has space. Ex-Pokémon Master, Cynthia Shirona refused to comment on her successors actions, although the fact that she now works at the Indigo Plateau implies a degree of agreement with 'Champions' actions. The last league to review is Kanto, which was expected to start this morning, but he has not arrived yet._

Delia Ketchum flicked off the news report, before turning to her guests. Norman and Caroline Maple had called her after being ordered out of their home the previous week, and she had welcomed them staying with her. Norman was still in a degree of shock, but was recovering. It was noon in Pallet Town, and they were sat in the Ketchum kitchen, drinking tea. Silence reigned, as it had predominantly since the Maple's arrival. It wasn't that they had nothing to talk about but more that Caroline and Norman were trying to come to terms with the events that led to them being thrown out of their home. Caroline didn't blame her husband, but she was in shock that the Pokémon Master had that kind of authority that meant he could do such a thing. Norman was staring at his tea, looking like he wanted to drown himself in it. He had been totally and utterly humiliated; not only had he lost his job, but two of his most powerful Pokémon had been taken out by a single attack. He had thought he was a strong trainer, and felt he should have been able to survive longer, even against such a deadly opponent. Now he knew how Misty felt when she was defeated. Utterly helpless against such power.

Norman's attention was returned to the present by the sound of the door opening, Professor Oak stepping in. The Kanto Professor had called in on the house every day, speaking to Norman about a right of appeal. Since it had been so long since a Gym Leader was replaced, the researcher had to go deep into League records. He had told them that he would have the results by today, and was here to discuss their options.

"There is some good news for you" Professor Oak started. "Not much, but you have something to work with."  
If the researcher didn't have Norman's full attention before, he did now. "Go on."  
"There is a right of appeal, if you have been wrongly dismissed from your role by the Pokémon Master. The question is, have you."  
"We reviewed my battling record, it was better than some of the leaders he didn't fire."  
"Indeed. However, being a Gym Leader didn't used to be just about battling, unfortunately, when these rules were made, it was down to what Gym Leaders had to do at the time. These regulations were made back at the original foundation of the league. If you were a gym leader then, you actually had a quota of trainers that had to be trained each year. If you failed to maintain a school of at least the size of the quota, you were given an official warning. If you then failed again inside the next three years, there were grounds for your removal."  
"But Norman's been leader for seventeen years" Caroline interjected. "And he's not been given a warning in any of them, or trained other trainers; he wasn't told he had to."  
"Indeed." Professor Oak said. "He wasn't told he had to, but the regulations never changed, they were simply forgotten. I had Gary dig these out; he's actually quite good at it. The fact that you didn't train any trainers in all these years implies that your removal is valid, but the fact that you were never given a warning is in your favour. You could argue that you have a year to fix it."  
"Despite the fact that I managed to miss out on nearly two decade's worth of teaching?"  
"Yes. I don't guarantee success, simply because you did miss out years. This is however the best I can do. I'm sorry."

Norman looked unhappy, as well he might. He hadn't expected much from the research, but this was disappointing, as it meant that he would have to struggle to get his job back. Caroline, expecting something like this, was resigned to the fact that with 'Champion' as Pokémon Master, Norman would not become the Petalburg Gym Leader again.

* * *

Falkner received the message in the morning. He had arrived at his gym to find it sat in his inbox. It was brief, but very clear; the way 'Champion' liked to work.

_Arriving today to interview captured Rockets.__  
'Champion'_

Falkner had sent a message to Officer Jenny to let her know, before beginning his gyms daily routine, exercising the Pokémon and observing his trainees. He kept checking for the arrival of the Pokémon Master, as so wasn't surprised when he saw the now trademark large red dragon soaring through the air towards Violet City. Falkner turned to his back-up, instructing him to carry on with the daily routine. The Flying-Type Gym Leader then hurried to the roof, and released his Pidgeot. The trainer and bird flew together to meet the Charizard, reaching the police station at the same time as 'Champion' did. He was greeted with a nod by the figure in black, who then strode into the station, with Falkner hurrying behind.

Officer Jenny looked up when she heard the door open. Thanks to Falkner's warning she knew to expect the man arriving. She hadn't met him before, so was unprepared for the aura he carried with him. Just being near him gave her a sense of his power. She stood up and came around her desk to greet her distinguished visitor.

"'Champion'. Thank you for taking your time to deal with this personally. I never expected this level of involvement."

Unseen under his customary hat, 'Champion' stared into Jenny's eyes, working out if she was being serious. He realized that she was; she genuinely was surprised that the resurgence of a major criminal organization would attract his attention. What she didn't know was the reason Team Rocket was so important to him. Unlike virtually everybody else, 'Champion' knew why they had vanished four years previously. He was responsible for it. Putting this to the back of his mind, he answered the police officer.

"Don't be. Team Rocket will be dealt with. Where are they?"  
"Isolated in cells."  
"And the trainers?"  
"Being looked after by Nurse Joy. What will you need for the interrogations?"  
"An interview room and complete privacy. I will bring question them alone"

Jenny nodded and headed deeper into the station, 'Champion' and Falkner following behind. As they walked, 'Champion' spoke to Falkner.

"Well done on this. You did well to bring them all in."  
"Thank you sir. Just doing my job."  
"Good. I want you to make sure that the trainers remain isolated and away from any media whilst I deal with the Rockets."  
"Looking after them shouldn't be hard. The media haven't gotten hold of this yet. There weren't many people who noticed the events inside the Sprout Tower, and I have made the need for silence clear to the elders who are usually in residence. With any luck, the press will never know."  
"That would be ideal. Thank you Falkner."

The Gym Leader knew he had been dismissed, so he departed the police station and headed across the city towards the Pokémon Centre.

The first Team Rocket grunt to be questioned was the one who had spoken to Falkner the previous evening. He was led into the interview room by Officer Jenny, who left him there. As the Rocket sat down he found himself facing Ash across a table. Refusing to be the first to say anything, he sat in silence whilst Ash studied him. After nearly a full minute, Ash started to speak.

"You have one chance. Tell me what I want to know truthfully. If you do, I can mitigate your sentence. If you don't, it will be very long. Now, where were you recruited?"

With only a small bit of hesitation, the Rocket decided that answering the questions up to a point might be a good idea. He could get his inevitable prison sentence shortened without actually giving vital information away.

"In Goldenrod City."  
"Where were you trained?"  
"I don't know. Some sort of base, I don't know where."  
"How long have you been with Team Rocket?"  
"I joined two and a half years ago."  
"How many operations have you been in?"  
"Like last night? That was the first."  
"Any other kind?"  
"No."  
"Who's your team leader?"  
"Alex."  
"Why did you join?"  
"I got into debt. I wasn't given much choice. Over the last two years though, loyalty was drummed in and as my quality of life improved, I wanted to stay. It was a better life than living on the street."

Ash leaned back in his chair, observing the man in front of him. The Rocket was young, in his twenties, and scrawny. He was the kind of person that was easy to not notice. And through his mental connection with Espeon, Ash could tell that he was telling the truth. Ash had released his Pokémon to pick apart the Rockets minds when they were interviewed, taking all the information pertaining to Team Rocket. Espeon could also tell if they were lying, something Ash could do himself, but with Espeon inside their mind already, there was no reason not to use that ability as well. He leaned forward again before starting to talk.

"Very well. Your cooperation will be noted. You will be returned to your cell."

Before the rocket could say anything else, the door opened behind him, and Officer Jenny led him out. As Officer Jenny went to lock his cell, she heard it lock itself. She looked quizzically at it, before hearing another lock behind her. She turned around, and saw that a different cell had unlocked, and the door opened, showing the leader of the squad of Rockets. Jenny blinked in surprise, before realizing that this was probably the man that 'Champion' next wanted to talk to, so she led him towards the interview room.

"No comment."  
"Where are the Team Rocket bases in this region?"  
"No comment."  
"Where is Giovanni?"  
"No comment."  
"Why have you started operations again?"  
"No comment."

Ash was asking every question in a perfectly level tone, whilst each was answered in the same way. A normal questioner would be getting angry after twenty minutes of this, but Ash wasn't normal. He didn't even feel bothered; the questions were only a cover whilst Espeon extracted the information from Alex's mind. There had been a disappointing amount, no locations of bases, or anything else. The only useful thing that Espeon had found was the location of this particular squad's hideout, which was in a forest to the north of Violet. Otherwise, Ash had gotten nothing new. He continued asking questions for a few more minutes, whilst Espeon read the minds of the rest of the Rockets, but there was nothing else useful there. Eventually he just sent Alex back to his cell, informing him that his lack of cooperation wouldn't do him any credit in his trial. He then went to speak to Officer Jenny.

"Thank you for your help. That'll be all I need."  
The policewoman couldn't hide her surprise. "That's it? Only two of them for such a short length of time?"  
"They know nothing else of use. I'll be moving on."  
"What about Team Rocket?"  
"Your main priority is to stop the news of their return leaking out. Any more activity, the old procedures still stand. However, I don't expect them to return here, it wouldn't make sense."  
"What do we do with the Rockets?"  
"They will be escorted to Indigo and tried. Thank you again."

And with that, Ash turned and strode out of the police station, leaving a confused Officer Jenny in his wake.

* * *

Sam Fernandez woke up with a terrible headache. He didn't know what caused it, just that it really hurt. He sat up and looked around, wondering where he was. The last thing he remembered was being in the Sprout Tower with Mellanie, heading up to the top, hearing her scream. As that burst into his head he rolled off the bed, but before he could take a step he promptly collapsed. On hearing the noise, Nurse Joy hurried in, and helped the youngster back onto his bed where he had spent such a long time knocked out. As she settled him, he realized that Mellanie was in the bed across the room. Noting him looking at her, Nurse Joy smiled.

"She'll recover soon Sam."  
"Huh? Where are we?"  
"Violet City Pokémon Centre. You've been out for a while. Falkner was in here not so long ago, but you were all still knocked out."  
"All of us?"  
"He brought in six of you last night. I never expected that when I sent him out to look for you. I didn't even realize that many people went to the Sprout Tower at night."

Sam lay back down, his head throbbing once again. He looked outside, realizing that it was at least late afternoon; the sun was quite low in the sky.

"Was it only one day?" Sam asked.  
"What, that you were out? Yes, I asked Falkner to look for you after you hadn't come back. He stumbled onto quite an operation up there."  
"Thank you. We owe you."  
"Don't mention it. Your Pokémon are also fully recovered. They've been impatient to see you, but I suggest we let Mellanie wake up first."  
"Thank you Nurse Joy."

As the Nurse left, Sam slowly stood up, leaning against the bed whilst he endured the wave of pain that came with the motion. As it ebbed back down again, Sam took quick steps towards the bed across the room, reaching it, before collapsing against it as his headache returned with a vengeance once again. Once he had recovered, he sat down next to his childhood friend and waited for her to wake-up.

Thirty minutes later Mellanie groaned. Sam who had begun to doze was snapped back to consciousness, and turned towards his friend. Her eyes began to flutter open before she focused on Sam.

"Where are we?" she asked.  
"Violet City Pokémon Center. Falkner brought us in."  
"Falkner brought… what?"  
"Nurse Joy was worried about us, so asked him to have a look. He found us with some others and brought us all here."  
"What happened to us?"  
"We haven't been told. All I know is that some people tried to steal our Pokémon, but I wasn't told who."  
"Our Pokémon? Where are they?"  
"Relax Mellanie" Sam said. "They are here. We can go and visit them when you're ready."  
"I'm ready" the girl said, then stood up. Before promptly collapsing, just like Sam had. Resisting the temptation to make a comment, he reached down and hauled Mellanie up. She smiled a thank you at him before heading for the door, albeit somewhat slower this time.

* * *

It was another hour before Ash strode into the Pokémon Center. He had flown out to the forest and located the hideout, something made far easier by Espeon using the Rockets memories. He had found very little of use there, and for now knew that the trail was cold. Without any other leads there was little he could do, and Ash reluctantly conceded that Team Rocket had gotten away from him. All he had found was information for the operation Falkner had interrupted. All Ash had to do now was to tie up a few loose ends, which was why he was at the Pokémon Center. As he came through the door, he saw Nurse Joy sat at her front desk. She looked up and spotted him, recognizing him instantly.

"Champion', what an honor. Are you here to talk to the captured trainers?"  
"I am. How are they?"  
"Recovering. I can't believe the quantity of drugs that Team Rocket put into them, it was enough to put them out for nearly a day."  
"The man who gave the order in the squad will be punished. Where are the trainers?"  
"Recovering in the private rooms at the back. I can show you if you wish"  
"I can find the way."

Ash strode down the corridor next to the desk, before going through the double doors at the end, and walking the length of another corridor. He then turned right, and reached a door which required a code to enter. He put his hand over it, and the door opened, allowing him in. There was a medium sized room with sofas and a TV in it. The room had six trainers inside. Ash recognized two of them, Sam Fernandez and Mellanie Rigger. He smiled to himself; he knew that he saw something in those two. They just had to avoid Team Rocket. As he walked in, all attention switched to him, particularly when he walked to the TV and turned it off before standing in front of it.

"I believe you know who I am. I hope you are recovering well from the events of last night. The men responsible have been captured and are awaiting trial. You will not be required to give evidence; the trials will be very secret affairs. This is because I am establishing a black-out about this. I will let you know because you are very closely linked to it, but what I tell you here is not for the public to know."

Ash paused whilst he let his words sink in. Each trainer nodded slowly as he said that they couldn't talk about it at all. By letting his aura out, he could sense the agreement in each of them.

"The people who captured you are called Team Rocket. They are a criminal group that you may have heard of. Four years ago they dropped off the map; they are apparently making a return. I am moving to stop them as quickly as possible, but until I do I cannot allow the news of their resurgence to become public. As a result, I must ask all of you not to speak about this to anybody. We have kept it quiet from the media, so they should not trouble you. Any questions?"

Most of the listening trainers were awestruck from merely meeting the Pokémon Master, let alone being ready to actually ask him any questions, but two of them weren't cowed by the man in front of them. Sam put up his hand, and Ash turned to him.

"Sir, why were we targeted?"  
"You specifically weren't, Team Rocket aim to steal Pokémon, you were just in their sights last night. Anybody else?"

When there was no response, Ash thanked them for their time and turned to leave. He left the Pokémon Center, released Charizard once again, and headed towards Indigo Plateau.

* * *

Brock was driving towards Pallet Town. He wanted to see Norman and Caroline, to make sure that they were ok. As he drove he reflected that if Ash was still here, he would have probably been there first. It was the only thing that ever distracted him from his training, problems with his friends. The more Brock thought about his friend, the more he missed him. They had been closer than brothers, which was impressive given all the siblings that Brock had. And yet, Ash had vanished. After Sinnoh he had gone to the very place Brock was heading to now, and then after a mere few days, he had vanished. Brock wondered what had happened to him. Had he died? Brock remembered when Pikachu came back to Pallet. The poor Pokémon had looked exhausted, and had clearly traveled for some time without a trainer. He looked wild, but had recognized Delia, who had called Professor Oak. Pikachu was taken to a hospital, but refused treatment, until in desperation Gary called Brock. Brock managed to get through to the mouse, and started to help him recover, before persuading Pikachu to allow the doctors to help him. Some time on, when Jessie, James and Meowth quit Team Rocket, Brock had asked Meowth to ask Pikachu what had happened to Ash. Ash's first Pokémon had told Brock that Ash was dead. Brock hadn't really known what to make of it, and at first had refused to believe it. However, seven years on, without hearing anything from his old friend, he started to think that perhaps Pikachu was right. Brock couldn't believe that he wouldn't have come back once in all that time. But if he hadn't, what would he be like? Every time Brock thought about his old friend it went like this, but he knew that there was a simple piece of logic that made it very hard to believe his friend was still around. Pikachu would never leave Ash if he was alive.

As Brock pulled up in front of the Ketchum residence, his thoughts had made him somewhat melancholy. However, as he stepped inside, being greeted by Delia, and his thoughts started to slip away. Sitting down, he greeted Norman Maple, who was looking thoroughly irritated. After exchanging pleasantries for a few minutes, Norman started explaining an idea of his.

"Brock, you've always been one of the more sensible of the group" the ex-Gym Leader started. "And yet you're young enough to have the same belief as our kids that things can work out right. So I want your honest opinion on this. If, somehow, somebody managed to replace the Pokémon Master, do you think it would be possible for those who had lost their gyms to get them back? Not just me, but all the other leaders across the regions, including the Pewter Gym if it doesn't make the cut."

Brock was shocked. The suggestion had come straight out of the blue. He turned to Professor Oak who was sat across the room.

"Do you know about this?" Brock demanded.  
"Norman did suggest it to me" the researcher conceded. "I confess, I feel for Professor Elm, it is hard being thrown out like that."  
"But to replace him, somebody has to beat him! And what makes you think that anybody that strong would be willing to listen to you? Hell, I doubt they exist!"  
"But if they did" pressed Norman. "Do you think it is a viable strategy?"

Brock took a deep breath. He knew Norman was reacting to the loss of his Gym and was desperate to try to recover it, but this idea smacked of desperation. It wasn't just that he was trying to replace the most powerful trainer in the world with an even stronger trainer, it was that this new trainer would for some reason undo everything that 'Champion' had done. It didn't help that Brock actually agreed with some of what had been done. The idea of teaching young trainers being spread down to the Gym Leader level was a good one. He thought the implementation was a bit ruthless, but the principle was good. He had been trying to persuade Forrest to do it at the Pewter Gym for a long while, and the Gym had slowly started to accept recruits. Brock had tried to increase the drive over the last few weeks, using his name as a Doctor and Breeder to ensure that trainers would want to come. Brock was hopeful that his families Gym would stand up to the inevitable inspection. Turning back to the waiting Norman, Brock decided to make his position very clear.

"Norman, I have a lot of respect for you as a Gym Leader. But I'm guessing that you are only doing this because the legal options are limited and unlikely to work?" The grimace from Norman answered that one for Brock. "Thought so. I don't believe that this is a viable option. To find a trainer who could defeat 'Champion' would be virtually impossible. I can't think of anybody who could even come close. Cynthia had her entire team wiped out by his Charizard. Misty's team was steamrolled by a Sharpedo that can run on land. He would have four more Pokémon with hidden abilities and the same strength of the ones we have seen. Do you honestly believe anybody can defeat him? And even if they did, why would their first be to undo all the work he did? You may not like it, but the idea of the reorganization is popular. People think it's a good idea, to have Gym Leaders available as teachers to trainers. It will improve the overall standard of trainers, which is a good thing. So, in my opinion, it's not workable. I came here to ensure that there is nothing you needed. As I can see that you are perfectly fine, I'm going home. I'm still working to make sure that Forrest can stay as the Pewter City Gym Leader. Goodnight."

Brock stood up and strode to the door, got in his car and drove into the night. Professor Oak stood in the window watching him turn the corner and leave Pallet Town, before facing Norman once more. "So I think he disagrees."

* * *

Ash strode into his office at Indigo, before sending summons for Cynthia. She appeared at his door, and took the offered chair. Before he even opened his mouth, she could see that there was something different. He hadn't looked like this before.

"I've just got in from Violet City. Falkner found a cadre of Team Rocket grunts stealing Pokémon. I questioned them, and found the cadre's hideout in a nearby forest. It had nothing about the potential whereabouts of any other part of Team Rocket. Their orders were delivered by Flying Pokémon. The final message was one telling them that their cover was blown so they were abandoned by Team Rocket. I don't know how Team Rocket knew, but they did."

Cynthias brain was only just beginning to catch up. She had been in intense training for her challenge to the World League when Team Rocket vanished. When her challenge had culminated in her becoming Pokémon Master, she had started to consolidate, implementing her own policies. She had never bothered to try and track down any evidence, assuming that they wouldn't ever return. It seemed she had been wrong about that. She turned her attention back to 'Champion' as he continued.

"If you know anything about them, I would be grateful. Trying to track them down again will be hard. If I can get into one of their major bases, I can crack the network, but I have to find them. Furthermore, I want to try to keep this quiet. Falkner did a good job preventing the media from finding out about this attack, but if they start more, it will be hard to keep it quiet for ever. Therefore, this has to be our top priority; protecting the public from the news. Thoughts?"

"I… Well…" Cynthia stuttered, trying to keep up. "I don't know where they might be, but I agree, keep it quiet from the press."  
"Good. I need you to go to Violet City and collect the Rockets in prison there. Bring them here."  
"I presume overnight?"  
"Yes. Whilst I do the review of Kanto, I'll watch for them. I'll also inform the Gym Leaders outside Kanto before I go."

'Champion' stood up, but Cynthia remained seated, still in shock. As he reached the door, he turned back to his frozen subordinate.

"Problem?"  
"Sorry, but I'm trying to keep up. You're moving too fast for me. I've only just found out about this, and you're rushing through plans."  
"I've had the journey from Violet to think about this. If you think that you've got a better plan, please say."

Cynthia thought, but couldn't think quickly. After half a minute, she shook her head, and 'Champion' left the office, leaving her to follow him, which she quickly did.

She returned to her office, before quickly organizing a transport helicopter for herself to bring them back. Her Pokémon would struggle to make the journey without a break, and they wouldn't be able to bring back the Rockets. As she stepped out of the building towards the hanger, she realized that the timing was perfect. She would arrive in the early hours of the morning, and be at Indigo before anybody was able to notice her missing. It just meant she was going to have a very long night. As she reached the hanger she climbed into a helicopter, nodding to the pilot and settling herself down to sleep.

The pilot shook her awake some time later. "Maam, we have landed at the Violet City Police Station. Officer Jenny is here." Cynthia rubbed her eyes and then left the helicopter to greet the law enforcement officer.

"Officer. My congratulations to you and Falkner for a job well done."  
"Thank you. You're taking them?"  
"Yes. I'll take them back to Indigo where we can watch them."

The two women started to head into the station, but as they entered the door, Jenny turned back to Cynthia, who realizing that something was wrong, gestured to Jenny's office.

"What's wrong?"  
"It's when the Pokémon Master was here. Things seemed slightly off."  
"In what way?"  
"His interviews. He interviewed two of the Rockets, that's it. Furthermore, between the interviews, when I was taking one of them back to his cell, the cell door opened by itself, as did the door of the cell of the next one he wanted. The one who just happened to be the leader of the group."  
"The door thing I'm getting used to, and his choice implies he's good at getting information."  
"But it's weird, I obviously questioned them myself, and they refused to give me anything. He was here for a grand total of thirty minutes, and he seemed to have everything he needed. That's impossible."  
"I appreciate you coming to me with this, but you have to understand that I can't do anything about it. I accept that it's confusing, but trust me; he is good at his job. Just accept that, and keep doing the wonderful job you're doing."  
"Ok. And I have to keep this quiet?"  
"I'm afraid so. One day I will find out why he can do what he does, but till then, I'm just going to do my job."  
"Thanks. So, Rockets this way."

Jenny, feeling somewhat happier, led Cynthia towards the cells at the back of the police station. As they got there, she unlocked the first cell, expecting to have to wake the Rocket up. He was awake, and held his arms out to be cuffed. Somewhat bemused, Officer Jenny did so, and then opened the next cell, to be given the same treatment. After all nine of the Rockets had been cuffed, they meekly followed Cynthia back to the helicopter where they were restrained to the inside. The pilot took off, and she was headed back for Indigo, still mulling over why the Rockets who had reportedly been aggressive towards Officer Jenny were suddenly so meek.

* * *

Ash stepped out into the garden behind his house. His Pokémon all trained by themselves when he was out busy, but when he was home, he always insisted on a tougher regime. They fell in around him as he started his run, keeping pace through the distance. As he approached the thirty mile mark, they started to look at each other, and by the time he had run for thirty-five miles, increasing the pace all the way, they were getting alarmed. All of his Pokémon as physically fit as it was possible to be, but with Ash enhancing his body with aura, it was possible that they might not be able to keep up forever. Eventually he started to arc back towards his home, where he started to meditate, leaving the Pokémon to train together. There were mutters among them; they hadn't been pushed this hard for a long time. The last time that their training had been so intense was when Ash had last had a serious problem to mull over. It had been over four years ago, just before they began to track down Team Rocket. That had been one of the hardest times in their journey, as although they were all powerful, Team Rocket was a huge organization. Only one Pokémon had stuck with Ash as he fought his way into the heart of the base hidden deep in the mountains; the rest had been fighting off Rocket grunts. Espeon had been his last Pokémon, and neither had spoken of what had happened inside. All the other Pokémon knew was that Team Rocket had been removed.

After only half an hour, Ash stood up once again. The Pokémon stopped training, and assembled in front of him, expecting the reason for his unease to be given. Espeon padded her way to his feet, already knowing what he was about to say.

"Team Rocket have resurfaced. Some of their operatives were discovered in Johto yesterday, but had no idea where any major installation is. Apparently we aren't going to be able to work our way in the same way as last time. However, that doesn't mean that we aren't going to be able to take them down. I need the scout team to head out once again. Check remote areas, search for anything that looks off. If you can find something, come back here and let me know. We will take Team Rocket down once again. And this time, we will get Giovanni. He will not escape me twice."

His Pokémon nodded, and the group that belonged to the scout team stood in front of him. He knelt in front of them. It was a group of three Pokémon, none from his main line-up, and none of his originals. They would be able to cover Kanto inside a week, but would return after that, because they would need rest if they covered that kind of distance. Ash turned to the leader of the group.

"Alakazam, I know this will be exhausting. You will be able to rest when it's done. If you need back-up, call for it."

The Psi Pokémon nodded, and then crossed his spoons, causing the group to Teleport out. Ash then turned back to the rest of the team.

"When we find Team Rocket, we will be facing them again. However, there will be a difference. Last time we were being cautious when we headed in. We have all become far more stronger, and so will move far quicker. We must not let Giovanni escape again. I will be continuing to travel around the regions, but you must train to be ready. Nothing can stand against you. I will return in a week. Charizard; lets go."

Leaving his Pokémon behind once again, Ash leaped high into the air, leaving a comfortable forty yards beneath him. Charizard accelerated forwards, and Ash landed neatly on the dragons back as they headed out towards Pewter City. Back on the ground, the Pokémon were about to return to their training when they noticed food bowls floating through the air to them. Each one had more food than usual, the message being clear. Train hard, and be ready. Espeon looked into the sky, where Charizard had vanished, praying that her master would be careful. He would surely be a target for Team Rocket if they aim for the Pokémon League.

* * *

When Brock reached Pewter City, he called the Cerulean Gym. Misty picked up, looking exhausted.

"Hi Brock, what can I do for you?"  
"Just making sure that you're alright for the inspection."  
"We've been working harder than ever for this. My sisters have actually shown that they have actually become pretty good Gym Leaders, so all we needed was trainees. My name helped bring some in, and the rest just wanted to be close to the old 'Sensational Sisters' That and Gary's been a huge help. What about you?"  
"I think we're ready. Forrest has worked hard, as has the rest of the family. We should be alright."  
"Good." Misty noticed that there was something else off about her friend. "Brock, are you alright?"  
"What? Yeah, I'm fine." Misty didn't even bother to talk, merely raising an eyebrow at the breeder. "Ok, ok. I've just got back from Pallet."  
"How are Norman and Caroline?"  
"I didn't see Caroline. Norman however had a scary idea. He thinks he can get his gym back if he orchestrates the fall of the current Pokémon Master, and has a new one in place."  
Misty stared at him, causing Brock to chuckle.  
"My thoughts are apparently mirrored" Brock said. "I told him that I wasn't interested, but I'm worried Misty. I think Norman might go for it, and there are at least ten unhappy people with authority out there; all the people he's replaced so far. We don't need this instability."  
"No we don't. But Brock, what can we do? We're both up to our necks trying to have our families hold onto their gyms, we don't have time for this."  
"No, I just wanted to give you some warning, in case he goes for you as well. I can vouch for the fact that it's not fun to have that sprung onto you."  
Misty smiled wearily at him. "Thanks Brock. Good luck when he arrives."  
"And to you Misty. Goodnight."

Brock ended the call, then went to find Forrest. They toured the gym together making sure that everything was as good as it could be. The trainees that they had managed to pull in were sleeping. Brock was impressed at the numbers they had managed to pull in so quickly. It was this more than anything that made Brock think that the Pokémon Master might be onto something. There clearly were people who wanted to be taught, just there hadn't really been a system in place to teach them. Now there was, and people were already using it. Brock had been in contact with the majority of Kanto leaders, and was confident that there shouldn't be any more leaders being replaced; they had all managed to use the few extra weeks that they had to get in trainees. Perhaps Kanto would be fine. After one last look around the Gym, Brock headed for bed. There was nothing else that could be done; it was down to 'Champion' as to whether they had done enough.


	7. Chapter 7

The Pewter City Gym door swung open with a rumble. Pokémon Master, Ash Ketchum stepped through and looked around. The Gym's battlefield was a standard rock field which he remembered from when he was last there. He looked up to the ceiling to note that the sprinklers were no longer there, smiling to himself with respect to the first gym battle he had ever fought. He stepped further into the gym, to see the Gym Leader stand up from where he had been sitting at the far end of the field. Forrest stepped forward and started to speak.

"I would normally start this with a challenge, but here I don't think that is wise. Welcome to my Gym 'Champion'."

Ash looked at the leader and nodded, striding to the centre of the field. He stood, did a full turn looking around the field, and then looked back at Forrest.

"I will let you know when I'm finished." Ash then turned and strode through a door at the side of the arena, to look around the gym more, leaving Forrest to sit back down and get his breathing back under control.

Ash stepped into a room which was an exercise room. It was in use by two men, who looked up at Ash and were about to get up before he gestured for them to carry on with what they were doing. He proceeded through the rest of the gym before returning to the main arena. In there he found Forrest battling, and Brock refereeing. He stood and watched Forrest's Onix be defeated by his opponents Wartortle, stepping forward after the challenger had left the Gym.

"Forrest, your Gym passes. The attached Breeder Center is impressive credit for I believe must go to you Brock Slate. Keep up the good work here, and you'll not here from me very often. Questions?"  
"You know about me?" Brock asked.  
"You were interviewed by me two months ago for the review of the license of Misty Waterflower."  
Brock blinked. He hadn't realized that he would be remembered so clearly by the Pokémon Master.  
"Do I need to improve on anything?" Forrest enquired.  
"Nothing yet. Once the review is complete, I will send out further instructions."  
"Nothing else. Thank you 'Champion'."

Ash nodded and strode out of the Gym, released Charizard and flew into the sky, heading straight for Cerulean City.

* * *

"Hey! Hey you! I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

James opened his eyes, to see a man stood in front of him. The man was wearing flamboyant clothes, a bright yellow shirt with an orange pattern, and electric blue trousers. He had a Pokéball in his hand, and was glaring at James. James looked to his side and saw Meowth lying there, asleep.

"Oi! Are you gonna battle or not?"

James turned back to the man in front of him, before smoothly standing up.

"Where I come from, I usually introduce myself before I fight somebody." James said, whilst smiling civilly at the man in front of him who was now fuming. "So, shall we try this again? Hello, I'm James Kojiro, may I inquire as to your name?" the purple-haired trainer said, whilst extending his hand.  
"I don't care who you are, battle me!" screamed the furious man.  
"Very well. Shall we go for a two on two?"  
"Make it a double battle kid, I don't have time for long fights"  
"Well you did challenge me. I accept. A double battle it is." James reached down and expanded a pair of Pokéballs. "Growlie, Pichu, its battle time."

James' childhood Growlithe appeared in front of him, before turning to lick his face, whilst Pichu hid behind his trainers leg. James smiled down at the small electric type. It had been nearly five years since Pichu had agreed to come with him. James had spent months searching for one, as he wanted to keep one as a mark of respect to the Pokémon that turned him into a trainer. Pichu had trained with Pikachu and had become far stronger. The two insisted on a spar every time they met. However, despite all this time, Pichu still loved to play games. Pretending to be timid was his favorite, if he was in a battle he would invariably hide behind James leg to lure his opponent into making a mistake. James knew this, and despite trying to change his Pokémon, Pichu carried on. Turning his attention back to his opponent, James raised an eyebrow.

"Going to call out your Pokémon? I thought you were in a hurry."  
"Grr. Dugtrio, Marowak fight"

The two Pokémon appeared, and looked menacingly at James' team who were still attached to their trainer. Behind him, James heard Meowth mutter in his sleep, and grinned. He could tell by looking at them that his opponents Pokémon weren't particularly strong, and he wanted to wake Meowth up in the battle. The difference in Pokémon strength gave him some leeway in how he fought, so he turned back to his Pokémon.

"Come on guys, what do you say we wake Meowth up?"

Growlie barked and jumped down to in front of his trainer, whilst Pichu smiled up at James before taking his place.

"Dugtrio, Marowak, combine Earthquakes."

The two ground types started to make the ground shake. James merely smiled calmly before retaliating.

"Pichu, Thunder. Growlie, when you're ready, Dig."

Pichu fired a huge bolt of electricity into the ground between the two pairs of Pokémon, causing a crack in the ground that absorbed all the power from the dual earthquake. As soon as their side of the field stopped shaking, Growlie dug underground.

"Dugtrio, follow that mutt, Marowak, Bone Club the rat."

The three heads of Dugtrio vanished into the ground, and Marowak started charging at Pichu. As he got closer, the small electric type simply ducked under the club before scampering away to where Meowth sat. Marowak was swinging his club again and again, missing each time. Eventually, Pichu stood right next to Meowth, and Marowak slammed his club down. Pichu just rolled backwards out-of-the-way, and Marowak hit the ground right next to where Meowth stood. There was a crack, and the ground suddenly fell away, with the Bone Keeper Pokémon falling into a hole that had suddenly appeared. As he fell, Dugtrio chasing Growlie raced into the hole causing the two Pokémon to collide. Meowth had woken up and instinctively grabbed at the side of the hole. Looking up, he saw Growlie and Pichu stood over the hole, grinning with the two Pokémon inside. James, the smirk on his face now very pronounced gave his final order.

"Thunder and Overheat."

As the two Pokémon fired their attacks, there was plume of fire which sparkled with electricity. Pichu and Growlie stepped away as the two Pokémon inside the hole were comprehensibly beaten. Meowth, having only just got out-of-the-way scowled at James.

"What was that for? I was just having a snooze" the Scratch Cat Pokémon asked.  
"Sorry Meowth, I couldn't resist." James said whilst grinning. He turned back to his opponent. "I think that wraps this up. Good battle."  
The man just glared at him as he recalled his Pokémon, growling "Piss off" at James as he stomped away. Watching him leave, James just raised an eyebrow, with Meowth grinning. Turning back to his Pokémon, James recalled Growlie and Pichu before gesturing to Meowth that they should go.

James was travelling again, just without Jessie for once. She had gone to Goldenrod City to a store that she was in the process of opening to sell the clothes that she was designing. In the seven years that she had been doing it, she had opened a few shops, but this was going to be by far the biggest, and it was taking up all her time. James had taken the opportunity to wander around Kanto and train his Pokémon a bit more. He had considered challenging the Gym's, but hadn't gotten around to it just yet. As they walked he turned back to Meowth.

"Do you reckon that they'll pass the inspection?"  
Meowth thought for a moment, and then answered. "Theys should do. Them twerps had long enough to do what theys needed to." The cat thought for a moment. "Norman went tho'."  
"Yeah, but he's hardly the brightest spark is he? He wouldn't of worked like Brock and Misty to protect their Gyms."  
Meowth chuckled. "True."

The two continued to chat as they made their way past Mount Moon. Suddenly James' head snapped up, seeing something in the distance. He pointed it out to Meowth who stared for a moment then grimaced. The Charizard that both had seen was heading towards Cerulean, but it was something that they both recognized. It was 'Champions' Charizard, which meant that the Cerulean Gym review was about to begin. The two friends looked at each other before heading towards the city. They owed it to their friend to find out what happens.

* * *

Pikachu was _bored._ Usually he enjoyed staying with Misty when he wasn't in Pallet Town, but she had been so busy recently that he had been forced to entertain himself for long periods of time. He was a powerful Pokémon, and Misty had told him he could go anywhere, so he didn't feel guilty wandering around Cerulean City all day. However, at the moment he was resting on the top of a tall building, having climbed up earlier. His thoughts started to drift, as they always did when he was bored, back to his first trainer, his best friend. Ash Ketchum. Pikachu still felt the guilt of leaving. Seven years on, and it still hadn't faded. He thought at the time he was doing the right thing. Ash had pushed his Pokémon harder than ever before, and Pikachu felt that Ash had stopped caring about them. He saw them only as the means to achieve his aims. Over the years Pikachu had started to question that view. When he thought back, Ash had never actually shown any cruelty to his Pokémon. Pikachu knew that Ash had become more distant, but the intense training hadn't exactly been good towards time to sit down and relax together. Coupled with the other Pokémon leaving, those that couldn't endure the training and Ash would have been under huge strain. It was the time that Pikachu should have stood by him, but Pikachu had left. At the time it felt like his friend was becoming somebody colder, somebody Pikachu didn't feel was the same. The Ash Ketchum he had once loved was disappearing, which is why he told Meowth that Ash was dead. Pikachu wondered what had happened to Ash. After all the years he could have been anybody. He remembered the day he left with the rest of the Pokémon. He wanted to return to Pallet, knowing that if Ash ever came home, it would be the Ash he wanted. None of the others wanted to. They were angry that Pikachu had forced Ash's hand, and made them make the decision. They had all headed off into the wild, leaving Pikachu to do the journey alone. As the memories flowed, tears fell down Pikachu's cheeks. He wanted to be able to go back to how it had been, but couldn't.

To distract himself, Pikachu looked out over the city. In the distance he saw a Charizard winging its way across the city. Watching it fly, Pikachu felt that he knew it from somewhere, but he couldn't place it. As he watched, the dragon started to descend, with a particular building looking like its destination. The Cerulean Gym. Deciding to head back towards the Gym to try to get another look at the Pokémon, Pikachu headed down from his building, before starting to run towards the Cerulean Gym. As he ran he thought about his fitness. Since he came back, he had continued with the planned endurance training. He was still as physically fit as he could be, and quicker than a little Pikachu had any right to be. Thinking about the Charizard, Pikachu gritted his teeth with determination and accelerated, whilst still dodging pedestrians as much as possible.

* * *

Cynthia was sat in her office once again. She had spent nearly two months working without actually managing to complete her primary role. She had intended to spend only a few weeks putting together the group of trainers who would be taught under her, but two months on, she was now struggling to find time. Each of the gyms across the four regions had started to send her names to observe, and she was becoming more and more burdened with the work. The fact that she wasn't able to leave Indigo for long further restricted her. However, she had finally found the alternative, and was in the process of organizing the first of a series of training camps. They would last for a week, and trainers from a particular region would be invited. She had decided that the first region would be Johto, and so had already contacted Professor Rose to get a list of top trainers. In addition she had consulted the Pokémon Leagues computer, and found some more trainers who she could use.

As she worked, she began to think about what she thought of the Pokémon Master. 'Champion' was an intriguing man she felt, but there was something off about him she felt. The way that his office doors opened and shut by themselves was the most obvious thing, but there was more. There just seemed to be too many things about him that were kept secret, things that he had buried and she couldn't reach. Cynthia had prided herself on her research before she became Pokémon Master herself, and she wanted to try to work out some of the mysteries around her boss. She also decided to keep it quiet, because she suspected he would not want her digging around in his mysteries. She had made a list of all the things that she had either seen him do or heard of him doing that didn't make sense, such as the way doors seemed to always open themselves around him, and the way that he healed Golduck. She thought to the meeting when he had offered her a job, and she thought of something else. His eyes had been very strange then, one glowing electric blue, the other dark and lifeless. In all her years of research she had never heard of anything like that. Cynthia sighed. This was the real reason she hadn't made as much progress on the teaching front as she liked. She was distracted trying to work out mysteries. The eyes though, was something she could investigate. It was clear that 'Champion' had spent time away from civilization, for him to become so powerful without anybody knowing. As a result, it was very possible that he had found something that caused it. If so, it would be potentially possible to find a point in history where something similar had happened, and use it to suggest what had happened to 'Champion'. But even then it would be useful to have a place to start. She tried to think back to her research, some of it having been ignored for a while, before she realized that she hadn't actually touched her keyboard for nearly five minutes. Cynthia groaned and forced herself to focus on her work once again, highlighting trainers that she could invite. She wanted thirty of the best for the first week, and had chosen all but two. The last few were proving problematic, but she had ideas. Sighing once again, she went back to her lists, to track down the last two trainers she wanted.

* * *

Misty was wandering through Cerulean City with May. Since Norman had been removed from his gym, May and Drew had decided to make their way through Kanto once again, not competing in contests, just enjoying themselves. As they had passed Cerulean City, May had dropped in on Misty, and seeing the state of her friend, had insisted on a day out. They weren't doing anything in particular, just making sure that Misty had a break from the Gym. Sitting on a bench in a park a few minutes' walk away, Misty leaned back whilst May just sat watching. After a few minutes, May decided to strike up a conversation.

"So will the Gym pass?"  
Misty looked across, warily. "I thought this was to make me take a break?" The redhead asked.  
"It is, but you're clearly still thinking about it." May countered.  
"We should. I dunno what the Pokémon Master will do, but there is little reason for us not to. We have a good record, and the expansion implies dedication to the training, coupled with the fact that my sisters have actually gotten rather good."  
"Yeah, what happened there?" May asked. "I thought that they weren't any good at anything, and then a year ago you were willing to leave the Gym to them. Seems a bit odd."  
Misty smiled. "It's a long story."  
"We're not going anywhere."  
"Alright then. It was nearly four years ago...

Misty had been cleaning up the gym at the end of a hard day when she heard a knock on the door. Surprised at the prospect of a late visitor, Misty headed to the door, only to see her three sisters there. Unlocking it, and letting them in, she saw that they all looked upset. Misty made them all cups of tea and waited for the story to pour out. Daisy was the one to eventually tell it. They had been released by their tour company, as after seven years their popularity was in decline. It was impressive that they had lasted as long as they did, the majority of stars only lasted a few years. However, they had been told politely but firmly that their careers couldn't go any further. As Daisy finished explaining, Misty sighed. Her sisters were once again relying on her to do everything for them whilst they loafed around at home. However, Lily proved her wrong.

"So we were like thinking, we could like become proper Gym Leaders. Like where we actually win battles instead of being crap." The middle of the three sisters suggested. Misty hadn't imagined this, and could only stammer agreement. And over the course of the next few years that is what they did. They trained with Misty, they took her advice in battling and they didn't spend days messing around where they did nothing. Eventually Misty was willing to let them battle in Gym matches, and they managed to maintain quite a high win rate. When she asked them why they had become so focused, they told her that it was because they needed a career and being Gym Leaders was something that they wanted to do, and could do. Since they could no longer be the 'Sensational Sisters' in the beauty sense, they could be the 'Sensational Sisters' as Gym Leaders. It enabled Misty to focus more on her own training, allowing her to become the trainer that she was.

After Misty finished telling May about her sisters, May was impressed. It seemed that the sisters who had been absolutely useless had finally made something of themselves. It had made Cerulean into one of the hardest Gyms to tackle in Kanto, although it had been weakened when Misty finally gave it up to her sisters so she could go on a journey to train even more. The two friends continued chatting until Misty suddenly spotted something. A Charizard was flying across the city, before descending to land just outside of the Cerulean Gym. Pointed it out to May before standing up and heading for the gym herself.

* * *

Ash recalled his Charizard and stepped inside the Cerulean Gym. It had barely changed since his first visit, except for the construction area at the back. As he walked through he was greeted by a receptionist, who told him that the Waterflower sisters were currently battling, but he was welcome to have a look around. Ash nodded to her, and walked through, noticing the area set aside for training, and the battlefield. He watched the battle going on, where Daisy thrashed the challenger, and nodded to himself. Returning to the front desk, he handed the receptionist a piece of paper confirming that the Cerulean Gym had passed and stepped back outside. As he reached to release Charizard once again, he saw a red-headed women moving towards him. Misty. Behind her he noticed another person that he recognized. May Maple, another of his travelling companions. Releasing Charizard he climbed onto the dragon's back as Misty arrived.

"Champion', did you make your decision?"  
"I did. Your sisters still have a Gym Miss Waterflower."  
"So we passed?"  
"You sound surprised."  
"I didn't think you would be so kind to us"

May had caught up by this time and was stood behind Misty somewhat nervously, whilst looking somewhat angrily at Ash. Misty felt the hostility behind her, as May glared at the man who had taken her father's gym away from him. Looking down at her from his position on Charizard's back, Ash also noticed her fury, but chose not to comment. He was about to fly off when Misty spoke again.

"Why are you doing this? Reviewing all the Gyms, what incentive do you have?"  
"It's my job."  
"No, you chose to make it your job. The league worked fine before you started interfering."  
"And yet my changes are popular. Miss Waterflower, be careful with your words."  
May chose this moment to join the conversation. "Not everybody approves of your changes. My father doesn't."  
"Miss Maple, your father would never approve simply because I replaced him. If I had not, he migt have been far happier. Ask your friends sisters what they think."  
"Why did you replace him though? He was one of Hoenn's best leaders." May queried.  
"Because he wasn't doing what he was meant to. If he is failing at his job, he cannot continue. I have no sympathy for him."  
"Why are you so heartless?"  
Ashs head snapped around. "That is an opinion Miss Maple. Usually I wouldn't bother, but I'll make an exception. I simply do not permit emotions to affect my judgement. The removal of your father was not a grudge, or any kind of emotion. I merely found him lacking, and so replaced him."

Before either women could respond, there was a flash of yellow as Pikachu arrived at speed. He jumped up onto Misty's shoulder, and looked at the Charizard. Ash, having already seen the little Pokémon at Misty's interview took it in his stride. Charizard however, wasn't as restrained. He glared at Pikachu with a look of fury in his eye. He, along with the other Pokémon that had stayed, blamed Pikachu for the changes in Ash. They believed that had Pikachu not left, Ash would never have become as cold as he did. They still loved their trainer, and he loved them, but he wasn't the same. Pikachu was trying to work out what was so familiar about the Charizard in front of him, but was taken aback at the anger he felt coming from the Pokémon. Jumping down from Misty's shoulder, he approached the dragon.

"Pika, Pikachu" (_Is there a problem?_)_  
_Even in his anger, Charizard felt a stab of surprise. Pikachu didn't recognize him or Ash. That more than anything was enough to anger him further; the Pokémon that broke his Masters heart didn't even recognize him. Staring at the rodent, Charizard merely growled, not deigning to reply with words.  
"Pika, pika, Pikachu, pika" (_Why are you so angry? You look familiar, Do I know you from somewhere?)_

Charizard didn't bother to respond, but merely spread his wings for flight. Ash who had watched the entire exchange patted his Pokémons neck, causing it to take off in a rush, the wind causing Misty and May to stagger whilst Pikachu was knocked back. The door to the gym opened behind them, causing all three to turn around. Gary Oak was stood there scratching his head.

"Blastoise recognized that Charizard. He seemed tense. He is usually only like that with Pokémon that have beaten him when he thought they shouldn't. I wonder why…"

Pikachu looked back into the sky after the dragon. He wondered why both he and Blastoise could recognize the Pokémon, and why it hated him. There was something about the trainer as well. The little electric-type slunk back into the Gym, already mulling over any possibilities. Charizard weren't exactly the most common Pokémon around, so it shouldn't be hard to work out which of the few that he could know of were the Pokémon of the Pokémon Master.

* * *

Alakazam teleported once again. Appearing alongside him was Ninetales and Beautifly, the scouts of Ash's team. They had teleported deep into Viridian Forest, where few trainers ever went, simply because the Pokémon there were far more powerful than elsewhere. The three Pokémon recognized the area, simply because they had trained there with Ash. The stronger Pokémon were a challenge to him, a challenge that he and his team had relished. This time however, they weren't looking for a fight. Alakazam adopted a meditation position, letting his mind wander out to try and detect any disturbances among the local Pokémon. Ninetales darted out, her speed enabling her to cover a large distance inside the forest. Every few hundred meters she would stop and sniff, trying to detect any human scents. Her strong sense of smell meant that if humans had passed inside the last few days, she should be able to find them. Beautifly flew up, and started to flutter to various trees as if she was looking for something. Eventually she settled down in a nook of a tree, near to the Pidgeot that was there, and started to ask if the birds flock had seen anything. Anybody watching would have been stunned at the little butterfly's bravery, but Beautifly knew this particular Pidgeot. It was an old friend of Ashs, having been the second Pokémon he ever caught. When he was training he had returned to the forest to see his old friend. Pidgeot had chosen not to come and re-join Ash, but remained as the guardian of Viridian Forest. Beautifly knew this, and chose to make the most of the connection. If there was a Team Rocket base nearby, Pidgeot would know. In fact, after seven years of training and travelling, they had these connections with Pokémon in almost every area around the world. It made searching for something far easier for Ash's Pokémon.

Pidgeot turned, and greeted Beautifly. After a quick discussion, Beautifly floated back down to Alakazam. Ninetales darted back in, and the three Pokémon had a quick conference. Deciding that there was nothing here, Alakazam crossed his spoons once again, and they teleported out. Total elapsed time, seven minutes since arriving. The Pokémon would work for most of the week, and they could cover the entirety of Kanto. If there was a Rocket base anywhere, they would find it, it's what they trained for.

* * *

Ash was sat down on the top of one of the tallest skyscrapers in Celadon City. Just like his psychic Pokémon did with their minds, as he meditated he cast his aura out. He knew that Team Rocket had originally had a front based in Celadon, and he wanted to make sure that they hadn't set up there again. He thought it unlikely, but wanted to make sure. As he cast his mind out he realized that the city had developed a very run-down area on the outskirts. Looking over towards it, he realized that if Team Rocket wanted to find recruits, they would look there. Gesturing to Charizard who was resting behind him, Ash climbed onto his Pokémons back once again and flew over to the slums.

As he got close to the ground, Ash just slid of Charizards back, returning the Pokémon as he dropped the last ten feet. He landed on the edge of the slum, before striding in. As he reached what passed for an open area, he stepped over to a small street stand. In the process of a short conversation with the owner, Ash determined that the reason for the area being so run down. Gym Leaders were the closest thing that many cities had to Mayors, and the fact that money had been withdrawn from infrastructure projects had caused many people to lose their jobs. The person who had withdrawn it; Erika. She had apparently taken money away from the project to expand the sewer network over the entire city to turn it towards making the upper class districts look prettier, the biggest cost being flowers. Ash took a small piece of paper from his pocket, and wrote a message on it. He released Charizard stowing the Pokéball into a pocket hidden inside his jacket, instead of his belt, before passing him the message, and muttering a command in his ear. Charizard flew into the sky, heading straight for the Celadon Gym. Ash turned back to the stall owner, thanked him, and gave him some money for his time. The owner thanked him, not realizing who he had talked to.

Striding through the rest of the district, Ash was still watching for a sign of Team Rocket. After a while, he found a run-down building, which made him suspicious. It seemed to go back some way, as if there was something being run in the back as well as the front. Stepping through the door, he found two men sat behind a desk. Aware of the lack of Pokéballs at his waist, Ash went up to the desk and waited. One of the men gave him a quick appraisal as he approached. Ash looked intimidating, with his cloak over his shoulders, but not quite disguising his athletes physique, the lack of emotion on his face and the hat covering his eyes, the man clearly didn't want to mess with him.

"What do you want?" the man behind the desk asked.  
"I'm looking for a job." Ash said.  
"That's what we do here." The man responded with a small grin, relaxing slightly. "What kind of job?"  
Ash felt a flash of triumph as his instinct was right. Leaning confidentially across the desk, he continued. "I'm fed up of being exploited if you know what I mean. I'm looking for something different and I hear you know the right people"

The man leaned back, before giving Ash a more detailed look particularly noting the lack of Pokéballs. He looked across at his partner who nodded back. Standing up, the man gestured for Ash to follow him through to the back. As they got there, the man locked the door behind them and flicked a light on. They were in a large room with lockers along the wall on one side and shelves along the other, and an open space in the middle as if for exercise. At the back was a group of beds. Ash took it all in quickly turning his attention to directly in front of him. There was a semi-circle of five men facing him, each of them holding a pair of Pokéballs. Each of them had a large red R splashed across their chest. Ash turned to face the man who had brought him through.

"These men saw you when you came in and approve. They would like to extend an offer to you to join Team Rocket. You'll be given Pokémon, taught different skills and be a vital part of the team." the man told him.

Ash didn't say anything. He turned back to the five Rockets in front of him, evaluating them. They looked confident, but not excessively, they were wary, knowing that this was the most vulnerable point of the operation. Ash turned back to the man who had brought him through, opened his mouth and said one word.

"No."

As the Rockets registered he had spoken, Ash was already gone, his aura making him move quicker than they could follow. Three Rockets were down before any of them even moved, but the other started to release their Pokémon on instinct. Only one of them made it, the other was sent skidding across the floor by a blow to his chest. As Ash arced back to hit the last one, a force hit him, taking him by surprise and stopping him. There was a Drowzee stood in front of him with a Raticate next to him. The Drowzee had just used Psychic and looked surprised that it hadn't done more to his target. The man who had brought him through threw his own two Pokéballs, releasing an Arbok and a Golem. Ash stopped, watching the two men who seemed a lot more confident now that they had Pokémon with them. The Rocket stepped forward.

"Give up. You won't get away from us now, you've got no Pokémon."

Ash just looked at him and dropped to the floor. Behind him the garage door disintegrated and a huge plume of flame shot across the room, hitting all four of the Pokémon. As it stopped, Ash's two opponents stared in disbelief as all of their Pokémon were lying knocked out. Charizard landed behind them, looking pleased with himself as the flame hadn't hit anything but its target. Ash rose again, stepping forward. He gestured to Charizard who used his wings to knock each of the men out cold, before picking up their Pokéballs and recalling the Rockets Pokémon. Ash then took some rope from one of the lockers along the wall, and tied up the men. He then unlocked the door and stepped back through, grabbed the other man from behind the desk and hauled him into the back with the rest. Quickly tying them up, Ash nodded to Charizard whilst passing him another note. The Flame Pokémon flew back out through the door, the note clutched in his claw, heading straight for the Police Station. Whilst his Pokémon was gone, Ash began to search the room, working his way through the lockers and shelves. Eventually he found what he was looking for; where they sent recruits. It was a in a remote area beyond Lavender Town, an area filled with canyons. Apparently there was a training base there. As Officer Jenny arrived with a group of police officers to arrest the Rockets that he had discovered, Ash began to plan his assault on the base.

**A/N**

**Alright, once again thank you to everybody that has read and reviewed this. It gives me some feedback as to whether the chapter is any good or not. Although I'm still waiting for that all important first slamming of my writing. I'm looking forward to that!**

**The only things to answer here are to do with Ash's Pokémon. I've already got the fourteen Pokémon worked out, and I'm afraid Salamance won't feature. I did consider him, but decided against it. Sorry. Sceptile will be remaining, having been one of the four of Ashs original Pokémon that stayed. His reason was similar to Charizard; they felt that they wanted to be as powerful as possible and the training was good for that. The last Pokémon will feature in next chapter. He had a somewhat different reason for staying, which will be explained.**

**Anyway, I'll try to keep the updates flowing, but I can't promise anything for the next couple of weeks because I'm on holiday. I'll do what I can. If you're bored waiting for another one, feel free to write an angry review. It'll keep me entertained. If you want you can even write a normal review, or practice another language. I have had Swedish and Spanish, and its currently Google 2-0 reviewers. See if you can force me to ask for a translation.**

**Also, as a final note, in the next chapter (and beyond) there will be an increased number of Pokémon talking. In conversations, their voices will be in italics. I will also reveal all fourteen of Ash's ****Pokémon . **Till next time!


	8. Chapter 8

_'Pokémon__ Master 'Champion' has completed his review of the Gym Leaders in each region. Eleven Gym Leaders have been replaced, along with one regional Professor. Below is a list of the replaced Leaders._

_Erika – Celadon City  
Blaine – Cinnabar Island  
Whitney – Goldenrod City  
__Pryce – Mahogany Town  
Brawly – Dewford Town  
Norman – Petalburg City  
Flannery – Lavaridge Town  
Roxanne – Rustboro City  
Maylene – Veilstone City  
Byron – Canalave City  
Roark – Oreburgh City_

_The replaced Professor was Professor Elm of the Johto Region. Whilst the Pokémon__ Master has not commented on a single of the replaced Gym leaders, some of the ex-leaders have stated the reason that they were replaced. Norman and Blaine both said that they were removed after failing to fulfill the requirement of teaching other trainers. Roark admitted that he was replaced after failing to win enough battles, whilst Brawly, Maylene, Flannery and Whitney all claimed that there were differences between their chosen style and the type of leader demanded by 'Champion'. Now that the review is complete, it is unclear what 'Champion' will do next. Will he settle back, and become a distant figure at the top of the__ Pokémon__ League? His remote attitude so far suggests that this is a definite possibility. However, an analyst pointed out that whilst he has maintained a cold attitude, his actions have strengthened the__ Pokémon__ League, and so predicts that the next step will be one to further strengthen the League. This view is one that has been reflected by many of the Gym Leaders who kept their places. The Viridian Gym Leader, Jonathan, felt that the review and restructuring was hugely beneficial, and that he expects 'Champion' to further his restructuring. Jonathan who has been Gym Leader for four years after the mysterious disappearance of his predecessor Giovanni, is famous for his training school attached to his gym, and announced that he would be recommending his top students to 'Champion' for training when he felt they were good enough. The Violet City Gym Leader, Falkner, also suggested that the next step for 'Champion' would be to further strengthen the_ _Pokémon__ League, as he feels it is "stronger now than ever before." Whilst he couldn't suggest what this particular action might be, he did suggest that it might be more subtle than the review. Whilst the review was effective, it also shook the League. Everything that 'Champion' has done so far suggests that he is not stupid, so more major upheaval is unlikely for the moment. _

Cynthia put the paper down and shut her eyes to think. She was confused by the enigma that was the Pokémon Master. The man acted emotionless a lot of the time, and yet he seemed to understand others emotions perfectly. It was hard to understand. And then there were his eyes. She had spent a lot of the last few days trying to research what might have caused it. The only example she had found after a fairly exhaustive search was a case of an ancient aura user whose heart had been broken by his partner. However in that case both the man's eyes were reported as being as dead as one of 'Champions' was. And Cynthia knew that there hadn't been a true aura user for a millennium. She knew it was possible that he was an aura user, but that would just throw up more questions than ever. Furthermore, she hadn't found any record of anybody who had an eye like the energetic one 'Champion' had. Lost in thought, she didn't notice the door to her office opening.

"Cynthia" At the sound of her name, Cynthia's eyes snapped open, focusing on the man in front of her. The man who she was trying to figure out.  
"Champion'. What can I do for you?"  
"I have tracked down a Team Rocket training base. I will be launching an assault on it soon, most likely in the night. I thought you might be interested in knowing."  
"Team Rocket? You've found one?" Cynthia struggled to keep the disbelief out of her voice. She had done some quiet searching, but knew that Team Rocket had apparently learned how to stay hidden. The members that they had captured refused to talk, and even then 'Champion' had assured her that they knew nothing. "How did you find it?"  
"Celadon City. In the run-down districts, I found a recruitment station. I was in the process of joining when I arrested the men around me. I found information on a base, and a Pokémon of mine confirmed it was for training."  
"Who are you taking to attack it?"  
"Nobody. It's a relatively minor base, my Pokémon and I can handle it. I won't even need the whole group, but I'll take them regardless."  
Cynthia was aghast. "You can't go against a training base alone. Do you know how many Rockets could be in there?"  
"My scouts informed me that it was a few hundred."  
"And you're going in alone? You're insane! You'll be ripped to pieces!"

For the first time since she had met him, Cynthia detected emotion on 'Champion's' face. It was there for a fleeting moment before vanishing once again making her think she might have imagined it. However, she was not wrong. 'Champions' face had registered amusement for a moment. However, his mask restored, he started to speak once again.

"Any Pokémon that they have are no worry to me. They won't have any strength. If they have any other weapons, I can protect myself from them. I will organize some transports near the base, and I'll bring the Rockets back here."  
"At least take some back-up, if only to help you arrest them all at the end. If there are hundreds, how will you be able to bring them all?"  
"The same way that you brought in those Rockets from Violet. They'll be weakened. Cynthia, I am going, I don't need back-up. I just wanted to inform you of what was going to happen. When I'm gone perhaps you'll want to start the first of your camps"

And with that he left her office. Cynthia let out a deep breath. He had just revealed a great deal to her, unfortunately it asked far more questions than it revealed. Remembering that she did still have a different job that she was meant to be doing, Cynthia sent out a series of invitations for her first training camp at Indigo Plateau.

_Two days previously:_

Ash strode through his house into the garden. His scout team was back, and he wanted answers. Alakazam was waiting for him, exhaustion clear in the Psychic-type. One long distance teleport was hard enough, but Alakazam had taken two Pokémon with him and done it repeatedly over the course of the last few days. As Ash reached him, the Pokémon simply nodded. Ash smiled, and hugged Alakazam, before kneeling to pet Ninetales and tickle Beautifly as the butterfly fluttered to his shoulder. Turning back to Alakazam he started to question the Psychic-type.

"Beyond Lavender?"  
"_Yes"  
_"Training base?"  
"_Yes"  
_"How many of them?"  
"_Some hundreds. Many recruits. Easy to take."  
_"Defenses?"  
"_Nothing electronic. It'll be easy"  
_"Alright. Rest Alakazam. We'll strike in two days." Ash then turned back to the rest of his Pokémon. "In two days we'll attack that base. Four years ago those of you who were with me agreed to hit Team Rocket with all that we had. We nearly finished off that organization for good, but Giovanni escaped us. This time, we are stronger, and more numerous. We will not let him get away twice. Over the years you have stood with me and we reached our goal of being the best. Now we need to do this, complete the task we set ourselves. When we have totally eliminated Team Rocket, we will be able to relax. Until then, no Pokémon anywhere they have influence can be truly safe, simply because Team Rocket abuse them. So, my friends. Rest up. In two days we will be at our strongest, and we will fall on that base like a flood."

Ash then toured his Pokémon, giving a word to some, petting others. He made it around his entire group of fourteen before he headed back into his house, leaving his Pokémon to their rest.

* * *

After his meeting with Cynthia, Charizard had flown Ash to the edge of the Kanto region, where he met a group of buses. Ash got in the first one, and they started to move. He had managed to get twelve of them, all following the one that he was in. He was leading them towards where his Pokémon had hidden themselves in preparation for the assault. As the buses reached the last open area before the base, they drove into a canyon and turned off. Ash stepped out, and was instantly met by his Pokémon. Stepping back from them, he looked over the Pokémon he had assembled, inspecting each one individually.

Ash started with the four of his original Pokémon that had stayed with him on the Day of Departure. Charizard was looking as ferocious as usual. In fact, Ash had noticed that he had been a little more aggressive ever since he saw Pikachu, something mirrored among the rest of the Pokémon when Charizard had told them. It touched Ash to know that his Pokémon cared that much even if he did worry what might happen if their anger spilled over. Moving on, he saw Sceptile, the grass-type standing proud, its twig still in its mouth. Over the years Sceptile had become a very powerful Pokémon, but he still couldn't compete with some of the others in terms of raw power. However, his strength was in his speed and agility, something which few of Ash's Pokémon could match. Next up was Meganium. The Pokémon couldn't bear to be separated with him, particularly after Pikachu had gone. Meganium had seen how much his oldest friend leaving had hurt Ash, and this, coupled with her love for her trainer and her desire to keep watching the Eevee that had evolved into Espeon had caused her to stay. She still didn't understand how Pikachu could have left, but unlike the others, she didn't blame him. She was just sad. The last of the four that had stayed had shocked all of them. Snorlax had impressed Ash with his desire to get stronger in the first few months training, but even so Ash had expected the Sleeping Pokémon to leave with the rest. However, he hadn't. Some years later Ash had questioned his Pokémon about the decision, and was given two reasons. Firstly, the exercise was giving Snorlax a bigger appetite and so let him eat more. Equally, Snorlax had to stay awake for longer hours, which gave him more time to eat, when he wasn't training. The other reason Snorlax stayed with Ash was simple. Ash had food, Snorlax liked food. Therefore, he had no reason to go. Regardless of the self-centered reasons, Ash was grateful for Pokémon staying and the Pokémon had become a true powerhouse of Ash's, as well as completely loyal.

Ash then moved onto the rest of the team that he had registered for the World League. He had taken Charizard, Sceptile and Snorlax, although he had chosen not to use Meganium. Sharpedo had been registered, the Brutal Pokémon having joined Ash after he had found it beached in the Orange Islands. Ash had helped it to recover, and eventually Sharpedo had come with Ash. After some months Ash had trained it to be able to run on land, and so never be stranded again. As a result, Sharpedo was now able to fight anywhere, something which gave Ash great satisfaction, overcoming his Pokémon's weakness. Sharpedos loyalty had been cemented by the effort Ash went to in making sure that he was never stuck on land again; in the aftermath of his rescue the Pokémon had been terrified of land.  
Next up was Altaria. The Humming Pokémon had not been part of the team when Ash first faced Team Rocket, but had become staggeringly powerful since joining a few months after. He had met Altaria near Mount Silver. Ash had been there to train in one of the toughest places in the world, but a few weeks in had found Altaria injured. Ash discovered that his training had caused some Fearow to move, and they had attacked Altaria after they wanted to live in the same area as her. Ash treated Altaria's wounds, and then returned her to the wild, but when he came to leave Mount Silver a couple of weeks later, Altaria had returned to him, and asked to come with him.  
The final member of Ash's frontline team had been met only a few weeks after the Day of Departure. Ash had woken one night to find an Aron trying to steal food. Not angry, he had confronted the Pokémon and offered it as much food as it wanted, as well as to make it stronger. Seven years on, Aron had evolved twice into Aggron and in terms of raw power could match Charizard. The two of them had frequent battles to test their strength against each other

Next Ash reached the scouts on his team. He had put together the idea of a scout team when he was tracking Team Rocket down the first time. He had met Alakazam five years earlier, with the Pokémon intrigued by Espeon's mental strength and wanting to come to learn to focus his mind to the same extent. Despite intense training over the years, the Psi Pokémon had never managed to become as powerful as Espeon, but his teleport ability had become far stronger. As a result, he was the obvious choice to head up the scouts, giving them a mobility that couldn't be matched. Ninetales had been captured when Ash had been training at a volcano near to Cinnabar Island. Her sense of smell was what had attracted her to Ash, recognizing the nutritious value of the food he prepared for his Pokémon. She had spent two days hiding near his camp trying to find a way to reach the food when Ash fought and captured her. Beautifly had been captured in the depths of a forest in Hoenn, another place where not many trainers went. The butterfly's value to the scouts was her ability to move unseen. Her size, coupled with her ability to move silently through the air meant that she was virtually undetectable when infiltrating. She also had the ability to hit large areas with single attacks if the scouts ever got into a fight, and her Stun Spore had saved the rest of the team more than once when tracking down Team Rocket the first time.

None of the next three had been with him the last time he fought Team Rocket, but he had picked them all up through the years. He had found a Onix deep inside Mount Moon, capturing it after a lengthy battle. Ash had gotten out of the habit of catching wild Pokémon that he found, feeling that he had a large enough team, but Onix had challenged him to a battle, and its endurance had impressed Ash. Onix had managed to match Ash's Snorlax for a long time, before the Sleeping Pokémon finally got a final Ice Punch in to end the battle. Given that it had matched one of his Pokémon for almost an hour, Ash decided that Onix was worth capturing and did so. Rapidash was another Pokémon that he had caught at Mount Silver, with the Fire Horse Pokémon wanting to join the trainer who's Pokémon were so powerful. For Rapidash it had also been a case of pride as she had been beaten in a race by Ninetales and Sceptile, although the two of them had used Quick Attack to increase their speed. After some time sulking she had asked to come with Ash to become stronger and faster. She was now the fastest Pokémon Ash had. Finally, Machamp had joined Ash as a Machop, and then evolved twice. Machop had never given a reason for joining Ash, merely marching into his camp and staying. Whenever Ash asked, he was never given a response. Over some time, Espeon had figured it out for him; Machop had been abandoned, and wanted to become stronger to show his previous trainer that it was a mistake to abandon him. After working this out, Ash managed to track down the trainer and the now Machamp had defeated all of his Pokémon single handed.

The last Pokémon that Ash reached was his Espeon. Since the Day of Departure, Espeon had become closer and closer to Ash, never imposing but always being there. The Psychic-Type had taught herself to communicate with humans telepathically in order to aid her trainer. She could now tell what Ash was thinking without even reading his mind. She was also his most powerful Pokémon, with her psychic strength enabling her to defeat any of the others. It was an accolade to be the strongest in a team with such power, but Espeon was proud to lead them. Her closeness to Ash coupled with her strength meant that she was undoubtedly the leader of Ash's Pokémon, as close a replacement to Pikachu as anybody could ever get. Without her, Ash doubted that he would have gotten through all the years. And now she was still willing and able to fight for him.

As Ash went through all his Pokémon he gave each a thorough inspection to make sure that there were no injuries. Happy with the state of his team, he gestured for them to move forward. Starting with a light jog, his Pokémon easily matching his stride, Ash began to move back out the canyon, before accelerating to a pace that all his Pokémon could sustain for the three miles to the Team Rocket base. As he ran he checked the sun. It was early afternoon, Ash trusting that he could break the base in the middle of the day without a message getting out.

* * *

"Sam"

The boy turned over in his sleep, ignoring the voice.

"Sam!"

"Go away" he mumbled, irritated at being woken up. After a few seconds he assumed that the owner of the voice had done as bid, and left. Suddenly he heard the voice once more.

"Totodile, Water Gun!"

Sam instinctively moved, throwing himself away from his bed. He almost made it. A jet of water slammed into him, sending him skidding across the floor, before coming to a stop. Groaning and sitting up, Sam Fernandez saw a small blue Pokémon grinning at him. Looking up he saw Mellanie standing behind her starter, also grinning wildly. The two of them had made good progress on their journeys over the last week, taking another two gyms and capturing more Pokémon. Both of them now had complete teams of six Pokémon and they had more back with Professor Rose in New Bark Town. After their Gym Battle against Whitney's replacement, Olive, in which Mellanie had taken two attempts to win, they had decided to train more and travel slower. Well, Mellanie had. Sam was more inclined to sleep in, hence his somewhat rude awakening.

"Did you really have to do that, Mel?" the wet boy asked, getting to his feet. "I mean, what's the hurry? We have ages to train."  
"I don't want to be beaten by another Gym Leader" she growled at him, annoyance etched across her face. "It was embarrassing!"  
"Well maybe if you were a better trainer like me…" Sam started, but didn't get any further. Angry at having to wait for him, and annoyed by Sam insulting his mistress, even in jest, Totodile had decided to take matters into his own hands. A huge torrent of water erupted from the Big Jaw Pokémon, smashing Sam off his feet once again. Thankfully this time he had the bed behind him, and so the landing wasn't too bad, but it still was painful. Mellanie was looking at her Pokémon in shock, and even Totodile looked surprised by what had just happened

"Mel, can't you get him to stop that?" Sam asked, now completely drenched, his clothes in dire need of being wrung out. His friend didn't answer. "Mel?"  
"I think Totodile just learned Hydro Pump" the girl replied, still staring at her starter with an expression of awe. "That was certainly bigger than usual, and we have been working on that move."  
Sam looked down at Totodile, the Pokémon looking pleased with himself, whilst still managing to smirk at Sam. Sam decided to be the bigger man and congratulate the Pokémon. "Well done Totodile" he said. "Really impressive. Keep it up and maybe you'll beat Quilava again soon."

This time when the torrent of water came, Sam was already moving, laughing as he dived out of the room past Mellanie who got caught by Totodile's attempt to blast water at Sam.

After the two young trainers had dried themselves off, with Mellanie being far less impressed with Totodile's soaking tactics once she was on the receiving end of them, they headed out to a field on the outskirts of Goldenrod City. Releasing their Pokémon, they gave them instructions about how to train. Sam and Mellanie then walked around the two teams together, giving each of the Pokémon advice. They had found that this benefited their Pokémon as what one of them missed, the other usually spotted. They had been going for some time when they heard a voice from across the field calling out a greeting. Gesturing to the Pokémon to carry on, Sam and Mellanie turned to see a red-headed women vaulting over a fence and striding towards them. She had six Pokéballs at her waist, and possessed a confidence that could only come from a time spent in authority. As she reached them she stood tall in front of the two trainers.

"You two both trainers, or are you coordinators?"  
"We're trainers" Mellanie said. "I'm Mellanie and this is Sam. What about you?"  
The women grimaced. "Am I that quickly forgotten? I would've thought you would at least know who I am."  
Sam stepped forward at this point. "Whitney, Ex-Goldenrod City Gym Leader, removed by 'Champion'. You gave the reason for your dismissal as differences between you and the Pokémon Master."

Whitney grinned at him, whilst Mellanie turned and stared in shock.

"How do you know that?"  
"I do read Mel." Sam grinned. "And you know it has been all over the news on the last couple of days? He's finished the review and they've listed all the Leaders replaced." He turned back to Whitney. "I'm sorry for your replacement it must be hard to take."  
"It's not that bad" the ex-Leader responded. "I was upset when it happened, but I've been able to take a more active role in the Miltank farming up here, whilst being able to look after my Pokémon better and do some training, though not too much. And at least the Gym is in good hands, Olive was a good replacement. 'Champion' does know what he is doing I'll give that to him."

Sam and Mellanie looked at each other in surprise. They hadn't expected to see Whitney, and definitely not expected her to be fine with her getting sacked. Before they could say anything else, Whitney started speaking again.

"I'm assuming these Pokémon are yours?"  
Sam and Mellanie nodded.  
"They look strong. Did you beat Olive?"  
"Yes" Mellanie answered.  
"Took you two attempts though didn't it" Sam grinned at her.  
"Sam I swear, if you don't stop going on about it…"  
"How about a battle Mellanie?" Whitney asked, cutting her off.  
"Err… sure" the younger girl replied. "How many?"  
"I think three on three that was what my Gym battles always were."

* * *

The Team Rocket gate guards stood lazily watching out across the plain towards the base. They knew that they were secure, the gate was the only way in aside from an aerial assault, and an aerial attack was risky; there were enough Pokémon inside to bring down almost any attack. Therefore, the only realistic way into the training base was through the front door, which had four guards on it permanently. In front of the base, there was open plain for half a mile. Nobody could sneak up on them.

Ash burst out into the plain, and started sprinting. He waved to Rapidash who charged forwards at high speed, crossing the half a mile in a mere nine seconds at a colossal speed of nearly 200 mph. It took the guards ten seconds to notice. Before any of them could even move, Rapidash was upon them. The Fire Horse Pokémon used Flamethrower to take out the two guards outside the gate before leaping over it and landing directly in front of the guardhouse which overlooked the gate. Hardly stopping, Rapidash smashed into the two Rockets inside the guardhouse, knocking them both out. Prancing out of the building, the Fire Horse Pokémon looked out across the entrance with some satisfaction. No alarm went off, and the rest of the team crossed the open terrain easily. Alakazam teleported to the guardhouse and opened the gates. The team was in.

Stepping into the base, Ash looked around. There were no Rockets around, so he walked into the guardhouse to pull up a roster of who should be inside the base. Scanning it, he found that there were no Rocket Executives currently present, but there were nearly six hundred Rockets, of which more than five hundred and fifty were recruits. Ash grinned, Alakazam had not been wrong. The base was easy to take. Ash quickly pulled up a map on a screen before he gestured to Alakazam and they teleported into the command center, along with Espeon and Sceptile. Inside were six rockets, none of whom had a chance to move before being taken out. Ash cleared his throat pointedly; Alakazam hadn't even had a chance to strike, Sceptile and Espeon obliterating the Rockets before he could. Stepping over to the PA system, Ash set it to broadcast to the entire base.

"All Rockets to report to the main training room. Repeat, all Rockets to report to the main training room. There is a compulsory training session to attend"

Ash put the microphone down, and then gestured to Alakazam once again. Ash, his three Pokémon and the six unconscious Rockets all teleported back to the guardroom. Looking out across the plain, Ash saw the buses he had brought with him. All twelve of them were driving up to the base, and Ash spent a few minutes taking the Rockets he had already captured and tying them securely to seats. He then checked his watch; it had been four minutes since the announcement. Ash decided to give the Rockets a few more minutes before moving in.

After another eleven minutes had elapsed, Ash strode out of the guardhouse at the entrance to the base, and down a corridor, his Pokémon advancing at his back. Six turns later, Ash was grateful that he had managed to bring up a map of the base, enabling him to surround all four entrances to the training room with his Pokémon. Espeon stayed with him, helping to coordinate the teams, but Ash trusted his Pokémon to be fairly autonomous under the circumstances. After they had surrounded the room, Ash stepped through the main door, flanked by Espeon and Sceptile. Across the room Charizard led a group through another door, whilst Aggron and Snorlax led the other two groups all three of them having to smash through part of the wall as well. The room itself was huge, easily capable of fitting more than a thousand men inside, with a raised platform at one end which Ash stepped onto. The Rockets were all stood in groups around the room. Once inside the room, Ash projected his voice all around, causing instant silence from the Rockets as his voice echoed around as if it was coming from a microphone.

"Team Rocket. Some of you may recognize me whilst some of you may recognize one or two of my Pokémon. I am 'Champion', the Pokémon Master. You are surrounded by my Pokémon, and there is no escape. Fighting is futile, you cannot win. I would rather avoid any deaths here, so I would appreciate it if you would just surrender without fighting; having to fight off every single of your Pokémon would be tedious."

As his words sank in, Ash smiled to himself. He was able to tell the general feeling in the room, and it had gone from shock to alarm, to fear to simple confusion. The Rockets had no idea what to do, most of them were new and those who weren't had no idea what response fit this situation. Ash then started to speak once again.

"Your base commander is currently unconscious and tied up, so I need his second in command to step forwards."

Silence reigned across the room, as the Rockets waited for something to happen. The men around Eric, the bases second in command were watching him. None of these men were recruits, but none of them were particularly high ranking Rockets; they were the men who trained Rockets before sending them out. Eric met the eye of one of his colleagues before stepping out of the group and approaching the platform. As he reached it, he grabbed a Pokéball and threw it, shouting out for the Rockets to fight. Ash raised an eyebrow, as the Rockets quickly realized what was going on and started pulling out Pokéballs and releasing Pokémon. Without needing an order, ten of Ash's Pokémon threw themselves into the fight, the remaining four guarding the doors out of the room.

Eric smiled in triumph as behind him more than eight hundred Pokémon were released. They formed groups, and started to face off against the ten Pokémon arranged against them. Confident that weight of numbers would easily give him a win, Eric turned back to see his Raticate appear in front of him. As Raticate materialized, Ash's Sceptile surged forwards, smashing the Pokémon with a Leaf Blade attack that knocked it out instantly. Sceptile then hit Eric, knocking him out. Sceptile looked up from his first victory, to see a large group of Pokémon charging at him. A small smile crossed the Forest Pokémons face as he fired a Bullet Seed into them, sweeping it across the charge causing maximum damage to as many Pokémon as possible.

On the other side of the room, Snorlax stood next to Onix as more than two hundred Rockets led sent their Pokémon to charge at the door they were defending. Snorlax waited for them to come closer, and then fired a Hyper Beam at the advancing Pokémon. The beam whipped across the charge, sending every Pokémon it hit flying. Snorlax grunted with disappointment; the Pokémon he was facing had no strength at all compared to what he was used to, his attacks were knocking them out instantly. As the Hyper Beam ended, Onix dived forwards, before changing orientation. He smashed into the Rockets Pokémon length ways in a vicious Take Down attack, colliding along a line eight meters long. Onixs rolling took him through six lines of Pokémon before he rolled back the other way to avoid another of Snorlaxs Hyper Beams. After repeating this twice, the two Pokémon stopped their attacks as the last of their opponents fell. The Rockets facing them stood in shock. They had sent hundreds of Pokémon at just two, and been comprehensibly destroyed. The Pokémon facing them didn't even look tired. One of the Rockets near the front slowly raised his hands into the air in surrender, an action soon mirrored by his comrades.

Within a few minutes, the scene had been repeated across the room, the sheer power of Ash's Pokémon overwhelming the weak Pokémon that Team Rocket members had. Ash started to escort groups out of the room and to the Buses, Espeon and Alakazam using their psychic strength to prevent the Rockets from attempting to flee. As each bus was filled, one of Ash's Pokémon stepped inside to watch the Rockets, all of whom were tied to their seats. It took him a while, but eventually Ash had rounded up every single Rocket, and the buses started to drive away. Since some of his Pokémon didn't fit inside the buses, Ash had sent nine Pokémon inside the buses with Rapidash running alongside the convoy. He kept Charizard, Snorlax, Onix and Aggron, recalling them all to the Pokéballs at his belt. He then turned back into the Rocket base and went back to the command center. Ash was quickly able to hack into the system and find details of other Team Rocket bases. He found three other training bases, and then what he was looking for. The main Team Rocket base was located in Johto, hidden in plain sight. It was in Goldenrod City, a minor skyscraper in the city of huge buildings, but with more than a dozen underground levels. Noting the location, Ash turned and left the base, totally empty of any Rockets. He had what he needed, and the breakthrough needed to track down Giovanni.

* * *

The two trainers faced each other across the field. Sam stepped up as referee, before the two threw their Pokéballs out.

"I choose you, Geodude!" shouted Mellanie, releasing her Rock-type.  
"Clefable, come on out!" called Whitney.

"Geodude, Magnitude!" Mellanie ordered.  
"Clefable, ride it out and use Ice Beam." Whitney countered.

Geodude smashed down into the ground, causing it to rumble ominously. The shaking became stronger, and Clefable crouched down to try to ride it out. As the Fairy Pokémon fired her Ice Beam, the shaking ground overcame her and caused her to fall, the Ice Beam fading.

"Rock Throw" came Mellanie's curt command. Rocks slammed down onto Clefable, causing severe damage. Before Whitney could come up with another move, Mellanie struck to finish the battle.

"Geodude, Double-Edge."

The Rock Pokémon flew through into Clefable, knocking the Fairy Pokémon to the ground once more, and this time she was unable to get back up. Whitney recalled her Pokémon looking at it sadly.  
"Clefable, I thought the training would help. Perhaps it's time for you to quit battling, you clearly don't enjoy it. I'll talk to you about it later." Whitney then turned back to Mellanie. "Good start, but that was my weakest. You'll have to do better to defeat me. Girafarig, you're up."

The Long Neck Pokémon materialized, the head on its tail grinning back at Whitney, a look of fierce intelligence in its eye. It eyed Geodude and its eyes flashed.

"Girafarig, Psychic, and don't let it go."  
"Geodude, Earthquake"

Geodude started to descend to the ground to start its attack, but didn't quite reach. As the Rock Pokémon came close, its progress was slowed, and then it was catapulted up into the sky. Grinning at her opponent, Whitney gave another order.

"Psybeam"

A multi-colored beam of light flew out and caught Geodude in a direct hit. Girafarig then let its Psychic hold go, and Geodude fell to ground, crashing down, clearly knocked out, the fall being too much for it. Thanking her Pokémon, Mellanie recalled it, and threw out another Pokéball, releasing a Mareep.

"Mareep, Thunderbolt"  
"Psychic"  
"Dodge"

Mareep fired its electric attack at Girafarig and then tried to dodge the psychic strike. It wasn't quite quick enough to do both, being sent flying by Psychic as its Thunderbolt smashed into the Long Neck Pokémon. Both Pokémon repeated their attacks several times, becoming progressively more tired as the battle went on.

"Mareep, end it with Thunder!"  
"Girafarig, fire a Psybeam before it can get its attack in."

Whitney's strategy nearly worked. Mareep fired a bolt of electricity into the sky before being hit by the multi-colored beam of light which knocked the Wool Pokémon out. However, before Whitney could celebrate, a Girafarig was hit by a bolt of lightning from the sky, sending the Long Neck Pokémon to the ground as well. Both trainers grimaced before recalling their Pokémon and throwing out a final Pokéball each.

"Miltank, you can win this."  
"Totodile, I believe in you!"

The two Pokémon appeared, one a small blue bipedal crocodile and the other a pink cow, with small horns. Mellanies eyes narrowed, she knew how powerful this Pokémon was, she could tell just by looking at it.

"Miltank, Rollout" Whitney ordered. Miltank curled up into a ball and started to roll forwards, straight at Totodile. At a command from Mellanie, Totodile dived sideways, before firing a Water Gun at Miltank. The jet of water hit Miltank, but the rolling was enough to divert it. Mellanie gritted her teeth in frustration as Miltank rolled back at Totodile.

"Totodile left then Water Gun at the ground in front of it."

Totodile moved to the left out-of-the-way and then fired his Water Gun just in front of Miltank, causing the Milk Cow Pokémon to slow its spinning as it couldn't spin through the water. As Miltank came out of his ball, Mellanie attacked again.

"Totodile, Hydro Pump"

A huge torrent of water flew out, smashing into Miltank and sending the Pokémon sprawling across the field. On the sideline Sam winced, he knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of that attack. Miltank slowly got to her feet, glaring across the field at Totodile. Whitney watched her Pokémon struggle to its feet, and then gave another command.

"Miltank, Sandstorm."

Mellanie gasped, as sand kicked up in the field. "Totodile, use Water Gun to clear the area around you, and start to move towards me" she called into the sand. After a few moments she saw Totodile edge out of the sandstorm. Watching across the field, they settled down to wait it out. Suddenly the sandstorm stopped, and a white beam fired across the field from Miltank. With Mellanie taken by surprise, and unable to command, Totodile instinctively fired a Water Gun straight into it that was rapidly upped to a Hydro Pump as the white beam pushed straight through. As the Hydro Pump collided with Miltanks attack there was an explosion which hid the field once again. As the smoke cleared, Totodile was looking somewhat tired, but Miltank looked exhausted. Whitney looked at her Pokémon who smiled at her, before tucking into a ball once more.

"Miltank, Rollout."  
"Totodile, Hydro Pump."

As Miltank came rolling at the Big Jaw Pokémon, a torrent of water crashed into him, only for Miltank to smash straight through. Totodile was unable to get out-of-the-way quickly enough, and was sent flying. As Totodile hit the ground, Miltank arced back around.

"Totodile, Hydro Pump the ground in front of it!"

This time the water did stop Miltank, with the Milk Cow Pokémon being sent skidding back by the attack. Totodile now looked exhausted, but Miltank seemed barely able to stand. As the trainers watched, the Milk Cow Pokémon tottered on her feet before crashing down to the ground. Sam stepped forwards.

"Miltank is unable to battle. Victory goes to Totodile and Mellanie!"

Mellanie hugged her Totodile, before standing and offering her hand to Whitney who shook it.

"That was a great battle Mellanie, you would have earned the Plain Badge from me had you faced me in the gym." Whitney said.  
"Thanks. That was really tough; your Miltank was really strong."  
"She was my first ever Pokémon, and my strongest. Not many can beat her…" Whitney broke off, causing Mellanie's eyes to narrow.  
"What's wrong?" Mellanie asked.  
"Your way of firing water attacks in front of Miltank reminded me. Tell me, have you ever heard of a trainer called Ash Ketchum?" Whitney asked.  
"No I don't think so…" Mellanie answered, looking to Sam and seeing a shake of a head there as well. "No, why, did he beat you as well?"  
"Ash was a trainer who came through nearly ten years ago. The first time he fought me he lost but then he managed to trap Miltank using a Totodile to create ditches that disrupted Rollout. That's why I taught Miltank Solarbeam, she needed a way to fight other than Rollout." Whitney's eyes became somewhat distant. "Ash went on to make top eight in Johto, and then went to a different region. I never saw or heard from him again."

Before either Sam or Mellanie could answer, a fourth voice added itself to the group. "Sam, Mellanie!" Turning around, the two young trainers saw a woman jogging towards them. She looked about twenty, had shoulder-length brown hair and was dressed in a simple shirt and trousers. As she reached them, she came to a halt.

"Nurse Joy said you two were looking for some training. I need to talk to you." It was at this point that the newcomer realized that Whitney was staring at her.

"Whitney. I didn't think you would be interested in trainers."  
"Just because I'm no longer a Gym Leader doesn't mean I don't follow things going on in Goldenrod. I still know as much as you Olive." Whitney countered.  
The new Goldenrod Gym Leader grinned. "I'm sure you do. Still don't want to come and train at the gym?"  
"No."  
"Well can't blame me for trying." Olive turned back to Sam and Mellanie. "Cynthia Shirona is holding a training camp for trainers based in Johto, and all the Gym Leaders are sending trainers that they feel are good. However, a couple of mine had to drop out, and so I need replacements. I don't want to lose any more of my trainees, so I wondered if you two would be interested in attending. It's a week long, at Indigo Plateau."

Sam and Mellanie stood stunned. Cynthia Shirona, the ex-Pokémon Master, and Olive thought they should go? Sam managed to croak out a question.

"Why us?"  
"Because, you both have a hell of a lot of potential and you're strong trainers already. You both beat me, and Mellanie you beat Whitney, no mean feat" Olive told them. "One of my jobs is to keep an eye out for trainers like you, refer you to Cynthia. I spoke to her about it, and whilst she knows that you are both on a journey, she still would like to offer you the place. You are apparently good enough to already be tracked by her, though I'm not sure how. So, how about it? I need an answer quickly."  
"Yes, I'll go." Mellanie burst out. Sam looked at her, before nodding. "Likewise. We would be stupid to turn it down."  
"Wonderful." Olive smiled at the two of them. "I'll inform Cynthia. If you come to the gym now we can arrange some transport for you. Whitney, good luck with the farm."

With that, Olive turned and headed off, the two youngsters traipsing after her. Whitney watched them leave with a smile, and then turned to head back up towards her Miltank farm. She had milking to do, but having heard about the two trainers she knew she couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet them.


	9. Chapter 9

Misty had been swimming when the call arrived. Lily had taken it, and then called for Misty. Answering the phone, Misty had been surprised to see Cynthia calling.

"What can I do for you?" the red-head enquired.  
"Come to Indigo. I need somebody to help teach at a training camp I'm running."  
"I see."  
When nothing else was forthcoming, Cynthia started speaking again.  
"Misty, I know that you were hoping for 'Champion' to train you, but he has made it clear that you aren't strong enough yet. However, this training camp will consist of some of the strongest trainers in Johto, and you could learn a lot from it. Furthermore, you are one of the strongest Water-Type trainers in the world, and they could use your experience."

Misty had been silent for a few moments. It was an honor to be asked, and it would make her a stronger trainer. Everything she wanted. There was only one answer she could really give. However, there were a few things she wanted as well.

"I'll do it, on a couple of conditions."  
"Go ahead." Cynthia said her face suddenly slightly wary.  
"Firstly, I want to be able to bring Gary."  
"Gary Oak?" Cynthia asked, her voice betraying her interest.  
"Yes."  
"May I ask why?" Cynthia asked.  
"Two reasons. He wants to get back involved in training Pokémon with him between research projects. The other is that he's my boyfriend. And don't worry, I'll vouch that he is still a good enough trainer" Misty's face was a picture of determination, something which Cynthia suspected it was on a regular basis. She knew about Misty's stubborn streak.  
"Fair enough. Congratulations."  
"Thanks. The other condition is that I want to be able to train with 'Champion' for at least one day."  
"I can't guarantee that, he is currently out of communication. However, I'll see what I can do."  
"I suppose that's good enough. When do you want us with you?"  
"As soon as possible."

Now, two days later Misty was stepping into the accommodation block at Indigo. Beside her was Gary, dragging a pair of suitcases whilst Pikachu who was determined to come when he heard where they were going behind them, dragging another, smaller suitcase. The couple was unsure how long Cynthia expected them to stay, so they had a fairly substantial amount of stuff with them. Looking around, both were impressed with the glamour of the building that they were staying in; whilst most trainers who came to Indigo were given standard accommodation, Misty had been allocated a room in the more exclusive building. Usually it was given over to Elites and Champions, but Cynthia had managed to get Misty and Gary a room. Reaching the receptionist, Misty gave her name and was rewarded with a key to a room. Quickly finding it, they left their suitcases there, and went to the main administration building to find Cynthia. They were directed up to the eleventh floor by the receptionist. Reaching her office, they found her slightly stressed.

"Is everything alright Cynthia?" Gary asked from the office door, Misty stood next to him.  
The blonde trainer turned to face them. "Just stressed, I was busy making sure all the trainers arrive and then a whole load more work appeared out of nowhere. Anyway" and she extended her hand to Misty and Gary. "Welcome to Indigo".

Misty and Gary shared a private grin. Cynthia looked every bit as stressed as they had when they had been organizing the new recruits in Cerulean. After shaking hands, Cynthia gestured to the chairs in front of her desk, before walking around and seating herself behind it.

"Now, the camp." Cynthia started. "Tomorrow we will start training. I will be doing most of it, whilst Misty you will be running a session for the Water Pokémon. I should tell you that you aren't the only specialist here; I have managed to pick up specialists for Fire, Fighting, Rock, Steel and Grass Types. I'm working on getting specialists for the other types, but that won't happen before this camp. You may have heard of some of these trainers, they are certainly fairly well known."

Misty and Gary sat listening to Cynthia as she explained the arrangements. They certainly seemed thorough. She explained how the camp would last for two weeks, longer than originally planned, but given the effort that she had put into organizing it Cynthia wanted it to be worth it.

"And you Gary, what will you be doing?" Cynthia finally asked.  
"I can help train any time, I don't specialize. I also am able to bring the benefit of my research to my instruction, something I believe you do as well."

Cynthia looked at him, before acknowledging his statement with a wry smile. Before any of them could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. Suspecting who it was Cynthia called for the knocker to enter. The door burst open and a young women with blue hair waltzed into the room. She looked under twenty, had a Piplup on her shoulder and wore a pink skirt with a black shirt on top. A smile burst across her face as she took in Gary and Misty sat there.

"You two never told me you were going to be here!" Dawn burst out, managing to give Misty and Gary both a radiant smile and an angry look at the same time. Not waiting for either of them to answer, Dawn turned to Cynthia. "I've spoken to Wallace; he unfortunately won't be able to come and sends his apologies. I should be able to manage without him; I've had plenty of practice battling over the years."  
"Thanks Dawn. I appreciate this." Cynthia managed to get out, before the exuberant women could say anything else.  
"Oh no need to worry, I'm happy to. I'm always happy to put trainers in their places, its great fun. We're between contest seasons anyway, so taking a couple of weeks is no trouble."

Cynthia looked at her computer screen before suddenly standing up. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have to go and see 'Champion'. I'll come back when I'm done; my meetings with him tend to be short." She stood and strode to the door. "Oh, by the way Dawn. You might want to congratulate the two of your friends." Smiling to herself, Cynthia stepped out.

Gary and Misty looked at each other, whilst Dawn seemed to grow in front of them. Silently cursing Cynthia, Misty sheepishly looked up at Dawn.

"So Misty" the bluenette said, the tone of her voice intimidating the usually unflappable red-head. "Why might I want to congratulate you?"  
"Oh just Gary and I are going out" Misty said, trying to brush it off as something minor. The high-pitched squeal from Dawn told her it wasn't going to work.  
"When? Where? Why didn't you tell me?"  
Gary held up his hands in surrender. "Dawn, if you just calm down we'll tell you, promise. We're not going to run away."

Dawn took a deep breath, before stealing Cynthia's seat across from Misty and Gary. Leaning forwards on her elbows, she waited expectantly for the story to begin.

"It was the night of the Gym inspection." Misty started. "Gary had been helping us with the whole thing, using his name to try to attract a few more trainees to the Gym. He worked harder than I think he has ever worked in his life." At this point she grinned at her boyfriend who had grunted is disagreement. "Admit it Gary, you hardly used to work that hard."  
"Yeah, but I did some work Red" Gary muttered back.  
"Anyway, after we passed, Gary asked if I wanted to go out to celebrate. I thought at first that he meant everybody involved, but it turned out that he really wanted to go out with just me. It was a great first date, though I'm still not sure if he could afford the restaurant we went to."  
"Trust me Red, I can" Gary grinned. "You're just not used to having money. Anyway, after she finally realized that I had been trying to get her to realize that I liked her for some time, I asked her if she would go out with me, and she said yes."  
"And to answer your over question" Misty butted in, before Dawn could start speaking. "We haven't told you because we haven't spoken to you in the last week. We were telling people when we spoke to them, instead of calling people up and telling them."

Dawn looked at the two of them, before bursting into a huge smile. "Congratulations to both of you. Can I be the bridesmaid?"  
Gary and Misty just looked at each other and laughed.

* * *

Ash Ketchum exited the elevator in the Pokémon League headquarters, striding towards his office. Under the building, there was a large group of police officers being coordinated by a dozen Officer Jenny's, arresting the five hundred and ninety two Team Rocket members he had taken in his raid on their base. At his waist, Ash still had the Pokéballs containing some of his team whilst the rest of his Pokémon were watching the Rockets, making sure that there were no more problems at the very end. As he reached his office, Ash sat behind the desk, finally letting tiredness reach over him. The raid on the training base had been nearly a week previously, the rest of the time being made up negotiating Kanto without anybody seeing. He had not slept for the duration, and his Pokémon had snatched what rest they could. As a group they were utterly exhausted, and he was only waiting for the final Rockets to be taken into custody so he could go home and rest. As he waited he turned to his computer, looking over the events of the last week. He noted that Indigo had a lot more trainers in residence than usual, as they were all there for a training camp of Cynthias. Ash brought up the list of trainers she had invited and scanned it quickly. He smiled to himself as he saw Sam and Mellanie on there. Closing the list, he looked up as Cynthia entered the room, taking the seat opposite him.

"Welcome back 'Champion'. I assume from the staggering number of Rockets downstairs that your mission was a total success?" Cynthia asked.  
"Yes" Came the blunt reply.  
"You are aware that we don't actually have enough cells for all of them? Indigo was never quite anticipated to be a prison."  
"I know. They will be distributed to prisons across regions. There is a major prison for each region; there is more than enough space."  
"I suppose. But even they aren't limitless; you can't arrest every Rocket you see."  
"I won't have to. Now I know the location of their headquarters, I will lead a team to capture the Rockets there. The majority of Rockets can be integrated back into society; only the leadership will have to be held permanently."

As Cynthia's back straightened in surprise, she reflected that it seemed to happen every time she came here. Whenever she felt the need to visit her successor, he managed to surprise her. She supposed she should be accustomed to it by now, but he always seemed to be several steps ahead.

"Where is it?" she asked, unable to keep the interest out of her voice.  
"Goldenrod City. Before you ask, you will not be needed for this operation."  
"So you're going in once again? Without back-up?"

Ash looked up, showing Cynthia the darkness under his trademark hat. Whilst she couldn't see it, she felt the power of the gaze which was directed at her.

"You've seen my results" the Pokémon Master stated. "Do you think I need help?"

Before Cynthia could answer, Ash stood up.

"The last of the Rockets has been dealt with. I will be taking my Pokémon to rest" he said as he stepped towards the door.  
"When are you planning the next attack?" Cynthia asked him.  
"In a few days. I haven't slept for a week, my Pokémon have had a few hours each in that time. We need to recover before we strike once again. Enjoy your training camp Cynthia."  
"Will you be able to help out with that? Just a day spent training with you would be worthwhile, I've never seen Pokémon looking as healthy as yours do downstairs." Cynthia called after him down the corridor. At the end of it, he turned and tilted his hat back, allowing Cynthia to see his eyes once again; the darkness in one and the dancing color in the other.

"I will join you on Thursday."

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea Mel."  
"Why Sam? We are good enough trainers to be here; otherwise we wouldn't have been invited."  
"That guy we saw as we came in. Don't you know who he was?"  
Mellanies look of confusion was enough to answer for her.  
"His name is Aaron, the Silver Conference Champion from last year." Sam explained. "I didn't even know he was still training in Johto. That is the kind of standard that are here, we just don't compare."

Mellanie couldn't stop the look of surprise from sweeping across her features. She _had_ heard of Aaron, but she hadn't recognized him. The two friends were sat in their room in the luxury accommodation at Indigo Plateau. The quality of the room, easily up at five-star hotel standard showed them how important this training camp was. Hearing that the Johto league Champion was in attendance, she realized that she might be out of her depth, despite her confidence. Seeing the uncertainty on her face, Sam continued.

"And think about where we are. We are at _Indigo Plateau._" Sam put as much emphasis on the last two words as possible. "You know, home of the Pokémon Master. What if he chooses to spend a day with us? Think we can even register on his scale?"

That got Mellanies attention. 'Champion' had a fearsome reputation, he had taken one of the best Water Pokémon trainers apart in her element and utterly thrashed Cynthia when he took her title. If they had to go up against him, they would be destroyed without him even trying. However, as soon as she had heard about the camp, Mellanie had decided to do her absolute best. She had guessed that there would be some top trainers there, but she had promised herself that she wouldn't be cowed by them. As a result, she was determined to make sure that Sam didn't embarrass them.

"Look, just do our best?" Mellanie asked him. "If you go into the training assuming you're the worst, you will be. Be positive and we'll see how we do. I suspect we'll be the youngest, so nobody will expect great things from us." She jumped off her bed, and bounded over to Sam who was sat on his own, before hugging the fretting boy. "We'll be fine. Just don't push our Pokémon too hard. And the Pokémon Master? We've met him, which is more than I suspect most of the other trainers can say. Do our best right?"

Sam nod was clearly reluctant, but accepted the reminder of the promise that they two of them had frequently made when they were younger. As Mellanie climbed off his bed once again, he got up and strolled to the window, looking out of it. Directly opposite his room was the main stadium, somewhere he was hoping to fight at some point. Looking down the street he saw a massive Pokémon Center which was clearly placed to service the stadium, as it was next to it, and attached. Looking the other way, he saw a large building which was the administration block for the Pokémon League. As he watched, he saw three people leave the main exit. One was a red-headed trainer, dressed in the blue that she had become famous for. She wore royal blue trousers, and a similarly colored shirt. Next to her was a man dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a loose white shirt. He had wavy brown hair, and had his arm round Misty as they walked. Just behind them, came a woman with blue hair, dressed in a pink skirt and a black top. Sam recognized the two women, but he wasn't certain about the man. Thinking quickly, he called Mellanie over to the window.

"Mel, who's that guy down there? I sort of recognize him, but I'm not sure." Sam asked.  
"Which guy?" came the reply as his childhood friend joined him at the window.  
"The one with Misty Waterflower and Dawn Hikari, the two women down there." Sam said, pointing towards them.  
"Oh Gary Oak?" Mellanie answered, blushing slightly.  
"Thanks Mellanie" Sam said with a grin. "You don't _still_ have a crush on him do you?"

Mellanie turned bright pink. Stuttering out a retort which Sam didn't believe for one second, she left the window and went back to her bed. Sam, still chuckling to himself, went back to his bed.

"Wonder why they are here" he said to the air.  
"Who?" Mellanie answered, not really listening.  
"Gary, Misty, Dawn. They are all famous, Dawns the strongest coordinator around, whilst Misty is supposedly the best Water-type trainer in the world. She could help you with Totodile, make him stronger."  
"If they are still around…" the girl muttered.  
"Sam lay back on his bed. "Don't worry; I'm sure that this will benefit both of us. And who knows, you might be able to finally beat Quilava with Totodile again."

The following morning, the two of them headed downstairs to breakfast. They were greeted with an impressive array of the most powerful trainers in Johto. Sitting slightly apart from the rest of the trainers, they ate a quick breakfast and then went to a large training room set underneath Indigo Stadium. The room had a large platform raised at one end with a microphone, but it looked slightly out-of-place, like it wasn't usually there. Before long all the trainers were in the room, chatting away with each other. Sam and Mellanie felt overwhelmed, and saw some of the trainers looking at them in surprise that trainers of their age had made it. Before anybody came to ask them, who they were, a door leading onto the platform opened and a tall blonde woman stepped out. Behind her came a group of people who lined up behind her. The tall women stepped up to the microphone and cleared her throat. Silence fell across the assembled trainers quickly, and they all turned to look up at Cynthia.

"Welcome" the ex- Pokémon Master started. "This is the first of hopefully many training camps that I will be running here at Indigo. You are all trainers who are currently based in Johto, and deemed sufficiently strong to train here. Behind me are some people you might recognize. They will be helping run the camp. However, before we get to business I need to inform you of the facilities here. You are in the training area given to the Pokémon Master under Indigo Stadium. The current Master, 'Champion' has given them to us to use for our training. Therefore, you can expect everything to be of the highest quality. Now, to the training. For the first week, you will be able to train where you please in this training area. Behind me are a series of specialists. Misty, who specializes in water-types, John in fire-types, Katy in fighting-types, George in rock-types, Lili in grass-types and Aaron in steel Pokémon. I know that this is an incomplete coverage of all types, but each of these trainers understand far more than just their own type. Their specialty is in knowing the strengths and weaknesses of all types of Pokémon and using their own type to defeat them. In addition, there is Dawn Hikari, who I expect you will all recognize as she has won Grand Festivals in all regions multiple times. She will be able to advice in the art of making your Pokémon fight in the more attractive manner used in contests. This may seem unnecessary to you, but trust me, it can also make your Pokémon stronger. Coupled with that, Dawn is a sufficiently powerful trainer to be able to beat a large proportion of you. And the final person up here is Gary Oak, the researcher. He will be working alongside me in general training. Any questions so far?"

As Cynthia stopped talking, silence hung over the room. She could see the minds of trainers working hard as they thought about how they would spend the first week, either working to improve their mastery of all types, or in training in an individual type with a specialist. Casting her gaze along the trainers she saw the two youngsters, a short way away from the rest. Guessing that this was the two youngsters that Olive had sent she marked them down for watching. Cynthia was also happy to be able to put faces to the two names. She had been shocked when 'Champion' had suggested that she keep an eye on Sam Fernandez and Mellanie Rigger, and now a month on was pleased to see them in person. Judging the time to be right, and noting the absence of any questions, Cynthia started to speak once again.

"The second week will place more emphasis on each of you working together, alongside the specialists. Now, there are maps of the training complex, although it is very simple. There is a field for every type, as well as four combination fields that encompass multiple types that can be set before training. Each of the specialists will be working in their field, whilst Dawn, Gary and I will be using some of the combination fields. If you wish to simply use the facilities without any help that is your prerogative but…"

Cynthia broke off as a door behind her opened once again. The shock on the faces of the trainers in front of her was enough to make her turn around. Stepping through the door was 'Champion'. Dressed in black, trousers, a shirt, jacket, fingerless gloves and his customary hat, he strode onto the platform next to Cynthia. As all attention was settled onto him, he started to speak, his voice ringing out across the silent room.

"It is known that I do not like media attention. Do not bring any to myself or this camp. I will be observing whilst my Pokémon recover from recent exertions. Do not disrupt the Pokémon League whilst you are here. Respect the Pokémon, who work with you, they are what give you your strength"

He then strode back out the door he had come through, it swinging shut behind him. Cynthia watched a small smile on her face. She knew that in a short speech he had made more impact on the watching trainers than she could with an hour long speech. Turning back to the waiting trainers, she started to talk once again.

"As I was saying, should you desire to train alone, that is up to you, the facilities remain open to you. And as the Pokémon Master made clear, he does not want any media attention focused on this; it will disrupt both your training and his activities. As a final note, whilst he will be watching, if anybody impresses him, you might find yourself invited to a training session with him. That is all I have to say, other than enjoy the two weeks and good luck"

Cynthia stepped back from the microphone as the respectful silence that everything had passed in was broken by the trainers discussing this latest piece of news. All the trainers looked excited, as they started to move off, heading into the arrangement of training rooms in the complex. Cynthia heard somebody clear their throat behind her, and turned around.

"So 'Champion' might be training them?" Misty Waterflower said, an eyebrow raised.  
"He said he might" Cynthia responded, knowing what the red-head was getting at. "He was interested in the idea of teaching a few whilst he remains here for a few days."  
"Have you asked him about training with me?" Misty persisted.  
"I spoke to him." Cynthia said, not giving anything away.  
"And?"  
"You will spend Thursday with him." Cynthia said, placating the red-head. "But please, this is supposed to be kept quiet, he will be working with everybody then." Misty nodded her agreement.  
"Now, go do your job Miss Waterflower." Cynthia said, pushing the red-head towards the door. "There are trainers waiting for your wisdom."

* * *

The screen flickered into life, the face of a man who was clearly terrified appearing in it. A chair swiveled to face the TV, the man sat in the chair hidden in shadow. The face in the TV started to speak.

"Sir, I've just reached the Kanto training base. It is completely empty. No sign of struggle, the whole place is spotless, just no people."  
"Have you looked into the security records?" a voice growled, emanating from the chair.  
"They were wiped Sir. One of the techs with me says it can't be recovered"  
"What about the terrain in front of the base?"  
"Tire marks Sir, and some deep hoof prints, like a Rapidash charging."  
"Very well. Pull your team back out of the base, and come to Goldenrod."  
"Yes Sir."

The screen went black, throwing the room back into deep shadow. The man in the chair leant back, speaking into the darkness.

"So, somebody has managed to shut down an entire base. A small team would be essential, but to have no warning at all. Perhaps…"

Behind him a door opened, and a man stepped in, his head hidden under a hood. He wore a Team Rocket uniform, fitting perfectly around his lean figure. He bowed his head as the chair swung around to face him.

"Agent. Report" the man in the chair commanded.  
"Sir, our informant at Indigo has gotten in touch. He felt it was too important to wait for his usual reports. A large number of Rockets were brought in on buses yesterday. Guarded by the Pokémon Masters Pokémon."  
"So it is him."  
"Sir?"  
"Our Kanto training base has been wiped out. All the recruits have been taken somewhere. That will be where. The simple assumption is that the Pokémon Master is responsible."  
"Yes Sir. But if he took the Kanto base, surely he would know where the Goldenrod base is from captured intelligence?"  
"Yes Agent. And I suspect he will come alone. A trap will be set for him. You are our best since we rebuilt, you will be responsible for setting it. You may use _all _our assets, including that one. I want regular reports. You will have at most a few days; he won't wait long before striking."  
"With respect sir, he won't be able to attack straight away. To bring buses from the Kanto base would take at least two days, if he was travelling to avoid being seen it would take longer. His Pokémon wouldn't have had a chance to sleep; he will need to let them recover."

The chair swung back away from the door in dismissal, and the Rocket Agent turned to leave. As he reached the door, he heard his boss's voice ring out one last time.

"Never underestimate the Pokémon Master, especially if he is who I think he is."

The Agent stopped in the door, but nothing else was forthcoming, so he stepped out, the door swinging shut behind him. In the darkness, Giovanni the head of Team Rocket smiled into the darkness.

"So, if you are who I think you are you are finishing the job you started four years ago. You nearly reached me then, but this time I'm ready. Come and get me if you dare, 'Champion'."

* * *

Misty stood facing the two trainers that had chosen to join her on the second day of the training camp. She had taken over the large water training area inside the training complex, and had spent the first part of the morning swimming with her Pokémon. The first day had been the hardest, since her recent battle against 'Champion' had raised her profile; she had nearly a dozen trainers to work with the previous day. This, as she had complained to Gary at the end of the day, wasn't fair given that there were only thirty trainers to start with. And Johto didn't even have a Water-Type gym. She had done the best she could, but had been grateful to see that she wouldn't have to produce a repeat performance today. Unlike teaching back in Cerulean, this was harder work simply because the trainers tended to be more arrogant, but also because they were stronger. Some of them were nearly as strong as her. However, after she had been swimming for about twenty minutes, two trainers had walked in, a boy and a girl. Misty had swum to the edge of the pool, climbed out, petted Gyarados to stop him getting annoyed at the interruption, and beckoned the pair over. Looking them up and down, she realized that they were very young.

"Good morning. Are you two here to work with your Water Pokémon?" she asked them.  
The girl stepped forwards. "Gary Oak suggested that we work with you today. We trained with him yesterday, the only two he had, since most people had either gone to you or Cynthia. I'm Mellanie and this is Sam."  
"Gary?" Misty asked with an eyebrow raised quizzically. "He didn't mention anything… I'll talk to him later. So why did he think that you should work with me?"  
"Because my starter is a Water-type." Mellanie answered. "And recently he has been somewhat stubborn. He still listens to me, but I feel like there is something wrong."  
"Fair enough. Water-Types are what I do best." Misty said with a grin. "Another thing, I presume you both are prepared to get wet?"  
"Gary did warn us" Sam said. "Something about swimming."  
"Correct. Join me in the pool when you're ready, and we'll see what we can do."

Misty turned and dived back into the pool, Gyarados taking up position on one side of her, whilst her Seaking swam on the other side. As the two youngsters started to strip down to swimsuits, Misty looked around the room she used for the training. It was completely dominated by the pool, which was at least three times the size of the one in the Cerulean Gym with the pool more than a hundred meters long. There were a few platforms, which could be moved, so she had set it up so that they were along the sides of the pool to be accessible but out of the way. It was perfect for her, and she found herself grateful that she had agreed to help Cynthia. A pair of splashes told her that Sam and Mellanie had joined her, and Misty rolled onto her front to swim over to them, where they were treading water. As she drew closer, she noted how Mellanie had left three of her Pokéballs on the side of the pool, and Sam had left one of his as well as noting with approval that despite this they were still wearing their Pokéball belts.

"Alright, first, how good are both of you at swimming?" Misty asked as she reached them.  
"We're pretty good. We used to have races all the time when we were younger" Mellanie said.  
"Good. Then why don't you have a race to the other end and back?" Misty said with a smile.

Before Mellanie could respond, Sam had exploded into motion, a front crawl causing him to move away from his friend at an impressive speed given his age. Mellanie glared at him and was about to set off straight after him when she felt Misty's arm stopping her.

"Remember, you are a Pokémon trainer, in water. Use your Pokémon to help you."

Mellanies face lit up, and she pulled out one of her Pokéballs, releasing her Poliwag. A quick word with her Pokémon caused it to nod, and Mellanie set off in a front crawl, but without using her feet. Poliwag swam behind her and pushed against her feet, causing her to move quicker. Before she reached the end she had overtaken Sam, who, because Poliwag was hidden under the water, couldn't see what she was doing. Mellanie turned, pushed off the wall at the end and started to race back, leaving Sam comfortably behind. As she reached Misty, Mellanie started to tread water again, and Poliwag swum in front of her, bobbing around, happy to be in the water as well as beating Sam. As Sam got closer, the Tadpole Pokémon swam into Mellanies arms, and then used its tail and feet to keep both of them afloat. As Sam reached them, he started to tread water again, as the two girls faced him grinning wildly. He looked at Misty, before his eyes travelled to Mellanie and then to Poliwag who was still happily grinning from her trainers arms.

"You used Poliwag didn't you Mel?" Sam asked. Mellanie nodded. "And let me guess, that isn't cheating is it?" Misty shook her head, with a wide grin still on her face.  
"Not bad Sam, you're a good swimmer, but to work well with Water Pokémon you need to get the feel for what it is to be a Water Pokémon. And that means swimming with them as well as training with them. Look at Poliwag, she is clearly happy to be swimming, and she is happy to be with Mellanie. Water Pokémon are one of the types where it is possible to work with them in their natural element without any danger. I mean, you would be foolish to follow a Fire-Type into a volcano, and it is hard to fly with a Flying-type, although not impossible, yet swimming is safe."

The two young trainers looked at each other, a new respect for the specialist that they were working with evident in their expressions. Their attention snapped back to Misty as she started to speak once again.

"I notice that both of you left Pokéballs on the side, I presume those are Pokémon that would struggle in the water?" Sam and Mellanie nodded. "Smart. Why don't you release the Pokémon that you have with you that would enjoy the water? If they aren't Water-types, try releasing them onto platforms first."

Sam started to swim towards the nearest platform, and released his Pokémon as he got closer. All five of the Pokémon he was carrying materialized on the platform, and looked around. They had been warned that there would be water involved today but they hadn't expected to be released into the middle of a pool. Sam's Ghastly floated over the pool, whilst his Furret sat on the platform looking at the water dubiously. Pidgeotto and Butterfree took off, hovering over the pool whilst Wooper let out a sound of joy and dived into the pool splashing around happily. Mellanie on the other hand had simply thrown one of her Pokéballs to a different platform, where Machop materialized. He looked down at the water before seeing his reflection and started admiring his muscles. She then released her Totodile into the water next to her where he started to splash about.

Misty suddenly rose out of the water by about a meter, riding on the head of her Gyarados. The head moved close to Totodile, who stopped splashing when confronted with the Atrocious Pokémon. Totodile turned somewhat uncertainly to his trainer who merely gestured for him to listen to the women who sat on the Pokémon that was towering above him.

"Well, you're certainly a strong Pokémon." Misty started, looking down at the Big Jaw Pokémon. "But your trainer says she's been having problems with you. Let's see… What attacks can you do?"

The words had hardly left Misty's mouth when Totodile unleashed a Hydro Pump at Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokémon, caught unawares, reeled back from the blast which was powerful enough to nearly knock him over. Recovering, he glowered down at Totodile, who simply grinned back. Misty, who had survived her Pokémon being knocked back, put a calming hand on Gyarados, before looking over at Mellanie.

"Totodile knows Hydro Pump?" Mellanie nodded. "Interesting. Usually, Totodile evolve well before they learn moves that powerful. Sam?" the boy's head snapped around. "Your starter, is at a Johto Pokémon as well?" Sam nodded. "Can you show me?"

Sam called out a command to Pidgeotto who swooped over the pool, before grabbing Sam's sixth Pokéball, and releasing Quilava on the side of the pool. The Volcano Pokémon appeared, looking out across the pool. Misty looked at him, and then turned back to Sam.

"That is a powerful Pokémon Sam. He looks almost ready to evolve again. How many Gyms have you two taken on?"  
"Three." Sam answered, before gesturing to his Pokémon to follow him as he swam over to Quilava, Furret having finally decided to try swimming.  
Misty turned back to Totodile. "Assuming that Mellanie got you at the same time as Sam got Quilava; you should also have evolved… So why haven't you?"

Totodile turned his head slightly, staring back at the Water Specialist, as if challenging her to work it out. Mellanie was still treading water, with Poliwag still in her arms. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Machop still showing off to his reflection and she gestured for him to join them in the water. As the Fighting Type dived in and started to swim across, Misty suddenly jumped off Gyarados' head, landing next to Totodile.

"Right. You clearly have a problem, but there doesn't seem to be a reason for one. Unless you are just being difficult…" Misty suddenly stopped talking as a memory suddenly surfaced in her thoughts. Years previously, when she was travelling through Johto, a Totodile, belonging to her friend Ash messing around, clearly enjoying himself. She grinned as the solution struck her. Turning back to Mellanie, Misty started talking again.

"Let me guess, Totodile was difficult after a defeat? You started to focus more on training to make sure it didn't happen again, and Totodile started to be more difficult after that?"  
Mellanie was shocked. "How on earth did you know all that?" she asked.  
"Because your Totodile wants to have fun. My guess is that he simply hasn't evolved because then he would be bigger and it might restrict him from enjoying himself. Let him have fun as well as training, and you should be alright."

Mellanie turned back to see her Totodile grinning, before kicking away and swimming across the pool. Smiling, she turned back to Misty who had a gleam in her eye. The Water Specialist gestured for them to join Sam on the side of the pool, and struck out, leaving Mellanie to follow her.

* * *

Ash stood looking out across the island he lived on. The island was a short distance away from Indigo Plateau, leaving him an easy journey to and from the Pokémon Leagues base whenever he needed to go. Those who had seen it called it Mystery Island simply because none of them had ever managed to get onto it. There was only one way in from land which was along a bridge that had a gate that could only be opened by either Psychic strength or by aura. However, it was so complicated that only the very strongest of either would be able to open it, Ash and his two Psychic types being the only ones capable. To try to reach the island by water was even more complex as boats found themselves caught in vicious rapids that invariably ended up taking them away from the island. And the two brave men who had tried to fly onto the island had found themselves hit by huge winds that had forced them to head away, or risk being knocked out of the sky. As such, it was a perfect place for somebody who was as private as Ash to live. His Pokémon and him could live and train in peace, without having to worry about anybody. Crucially in Ashs mind, there was absolutely no way that the media who dogged every Pokémon Master would be able to reach him. As such, he was perfectly able to relax there. Without turning, Ash felt Espeon stroll up behind him, the Sun Pokémon standing proud next to her trainer. Ash reached down and scratched her behind the ears, causing her to purr. Looking back out across Mystery Island, Ash started to speak.

"On Thursday we will be teaching some trainers." Espeon looked up, her eyes bright with curiosity. "Yes, I thought you would be surprised. There are two trainers there who could be strong. They are young now, but with the right encouragement, they will become very strong. They would be good partners for us. Friday, we will start our strike at the heart of Team Rocket, giving us time to reach Goldenrod overnight. We will hit every floor that is above ground at once, before striking into the underground areas. There can be no place where they can escape, and this time we will get Giovanni."

Espeon mewed quietly, and Ash turned his head to look down at her.

"I know, I suspect the same thing. I thought that he would know that we are coming, but that can't be helped. At best, we will just have to spring the trap, and move through it. If it is what I think it will be, then you will have to trust me."  
"Espeon?"  
"Simple. If Giovanni knows that we are coming, he will have a guaranteed escape route. He will also try to trap me, and then let time wear the rest of you down. If you look like breaking through to him, he will simply vanish again, and we are back where we started. Assuming I'm right, you will pull out, and leave me trapped. When I know that Giovanni is present, and with me, I will send out a message that you will be able to detect. Alakazam can then teleport you all in, and we have Giovanni."

Espeon looked up at her trainer, master and friend, worry written over her face. She knew that Ash was powerful, but she still feared leaving him in the hands of Team Rocket. The logic in his plan was sound, as it was the best way to guarantee that they would be able to capture Giovanni, but she still didn't like the idea. Ash, noting the worry in her expression did not need her to talk to know what she was thinking.

"Espeon, this is one where you are going to have to trust me. If you stay nearby, you will be able to sustain a mental link for a short while, so you won't be cut off. However, ultimately, Giovanni will not want to risk his capture, so it could take a while for him to be sufficiently confident that he has actually subdued me. Patience will be key. Now, let us go see the others."

Ash turned back towards his house, Espeon easily keeping pace alongside him. His Pokémon had all slept for most of the day when they returned, utterly exhausted from their work in capturing the Rockets. Ash had been proud of them; they had done everything he could ever ask of them. However, he knew their loyalty to him. They would not enjoy the plan that he knew he had to use if he was able to capture Giovanni and finally end Team Rocket. Many of them still remembered his fury four years previously when he had fought his way through the Rockets, Espeon at his side, and his other Pokémon fighting throughout the headquarters under Viridian Gym.

When Ash had reached the room where they expected to find Giovanni, only to find it empty. There had been a tunnel, dug out at the back, behind a hidden door. Ash had smashed the door from its hinges, to find railway tracks, which showed him Giovanni's escape route. Knowing that to chase would be fruitless, Ash turned and strode straight back out of the room, to find his Pokémon. After he had collected them all, he assembled his Pokémon in front of the Rockets that were still on their feet, which was definitely a minority. Looking back over them, he had seen the injuries to the ten Pokémon he had at the time, all for nothing. His anger had cowed the Rockets, and none of them had dared move until the police showed up to arrest despite the fact that Ash had left nearly fifteen minutes previously. He had however, taken the highest rank Rocket that he had found with him; Domino. The Black Tulip had been unconscious when Ash found her, unable to take the impact of a Pokémon that Aggron had sent flying into her. By the time Ash had found the Rocket headquarters, she had been the Rockets second in command, and so was the alternative target given Giovanni's escape. Faced with Ash's anger, she had been terrified, but refused to talk about where her boss might be. At first Ash thought she was merely being brave, but after Espeon had searched her mind, he realized that Domino simply didn't know. Giovanni had vanished into the wilderness. As a result, Ash had taken Domino to a Police station and left her tied up. She was sufficiently well known by the police that she was arrested on the spot, and the Viridian police had remained quietly grateful that their cover-up of the whole affair was continued.

What Ash's Pokémon would remember from the whole episode was the way he very nearly lost control. Espeon had to restrain him because he had looked like he was going to kill Domino. When he forced the Sun Pokémon to her limit to restrain him, Alakazam and Aggron stepped in. Between the three of them they had managed to restrain their enraged trainer, preventing him from taking revenge for their injuries which had been gained for nothing on the women in front of them. It was this that prevented Domino from even attempting to flee; she had decided that anybody who took three Pokémon to restrain was clearly not somebody that she wanted hunting her. Ash hoped to use this memory to persuade his Pokémon that he needed them to pretend to abandon him.

Reaching the clearing behind the house where his Pokémon were resting, Ash stopped walking, and the Pokémon quickly lined up in front of him. After laying out his plan for the attack in Goldenrod, Ash held up a hand to forestall any complaints.

"Before you all complain, hear me out." Ash said. "Four years ago, we fought our way through hell, to find Giovanni had escaped. If we go about it the same way, he will do the same thing again. This we cannot permit. Those of you who were there will remember the way I reacted when I found that you had all been hurt for no reason. Now, I understand that none of the injuries were life threatening, and that you have picked up worse in training. However, they were by far the worst injuries that you have ever had for _no reason at all_. As a result, I will not permit it to happen again. So, argue all you want, this is one time where I must ask for your unequivocal trust. And this time we _will_ bring down Giovanni."

**A/N**

**Firstly, sorry for the delay in this chapter going up; I've been internet-less for a week, so haven't been able to upload. Hopefully, now I'm home again I'll be able to go back to a somewhat more regular update schedule. **

**Secondly, thanks once again to all of you who have reviewed. Gives me some idea as to how each chapter is received, and gives me some ideas as to how to write each chapter. So, please keep reviewing, and if you desperately want something to appear in the story, shout it out and I'll see what I can do; some things I just haven't written, like the gym reviews for the rest of Kanto. Sorry to the person that requested that, but I wanted to move on. But regardless, please keep reading and reviewing, and as always, if you don't like what I've written, shout it loud and clear. I might even listen.**

**And finally, a note about two of the younger characters. Sam and Mellanie will, as you might have guessed, play important parts in the story as it develops. However, since I haven't really written much about their travels, if you've managed to keep track of all their** **Pokémon**, **I'm very impressed. If you haven't bothered or managed, I've listed them below. Equally, if you want me to list any other characters Pokémon, just put it in a review or a PM and I'll put it at the end of the next chapter, most of the main characters (and a few minor ones) have a team worked out, although if you think that a particular trainer should have a particular Pokémon, say and I'll consider it. **

**Sam: Quilava, Ghastly, Furret, Wooper, Pidgeotto, Butterfree  
Mellanie: Totodile, Poliwag, Machop, Mareep, Geodude, Bellsprout**


	10. Chapter 10

Cynthia was stood on the platform in the same room that she had first addressed all the trainers on the first day of the training camp. Once again, behind her were the specialists that she had managed to assemble. 'Champion' had, surprisingly, not commented on their use, and she suspected he enjoyed the idea as much as she did. At least she hoped so. In front of her were the trainers, assembled as they had been three days previously. The only difference was that stood next to her was the Pokémon Master, in his standard black clothes. The man who she had spent more than two months trying to understand and get to know, and failed miserably in both tasks. Unlike last time, when she had done the talking, Cynthia stood and listened as 'Champion' stepped forwards to address the thirty trainers in front of him.

"Cynthia has prevailed on me to spend a day helping with the training. That day is today. I will make something clear from the start. I do not have time to deal with those who aren't willing to listen. I will not repeat things. And if I suspect that you are wasting my time, you will regret it. Questions?"

There was a silence so complete that it was deafening. Nobody moved, not wanting to be the one to disturb the greatest Pokémon Trainer in living memory. 'Champion' waited a moment, before starting to talk once again.

"Proceed to the mixed fields."

Cynthia winced slightly at the commanding tone, but nobody complained or even looked like they were considering it. Every trainer that she had invited to the camp had been eager at the opportunity to learn under her; a trainer that everybody had considered the best of a generation until 'Champion' taken her title. Coupled with the chance to train under specialists who understood their type perfectly, and it was hard to say no. However, she knew that this was what they had all truly hoped for; the chance to train with the Pokémon Master. Misty in particular looked absolutely thrilled, having experienced first-hand how skilled he was. Pikachu, who had insisted on coming today was looking equally eager, but he also had a hidden idea, to try to work out why the Pokémon Master seemed so familiar.

As they reached the field, they found the four regions set up with four different types; Water, Fire, Rock and a standard battlefield. The water field was a simple pool without any platforms, whilst the rock was equally standard across the majority of stadiums. The fire field was field of hot coals which had platforms suspended over it. 'Champion' stood waiting for the trainers as they stood on the edge of the battle area. As the last one arrived, 'Champion' gave a simple command.

"Those of you that have one, release a Water Pokémon."

Of the thirty trainers, only nine didn't have a Water-type, and soon the water field was busy with Pokémon. Misty felt 'Champions' eye on her as she fingered her Pokéballs, and she chose to release her Dewgong into the water. As the last of the Pokémon materialized, 'Champion' held up his hand, a Pokéball in it, and released his Sharpedo onto the edge of the Rock field next to the Water field. All the water Pokémon instantly turned to face the Brutal Pokémon, but Sharpedo scanned them until he saw Misty's Dewgong. As the two Pokémon locked eyes, Sharpedo smiled at the Sea Lion Pokémon. Not the smirk it had on its face whilst battling, but a smile which was one between two comrades. Dewgong blinked, then smiled back, before her attention was sent back to 'Champion' who was talking again.

"Water is fluid, and ever changing, whilst possessing great power. Water Pokémon are among the most versatile when used properly, in particular their amphibious abilities giving them a whole new area to dodge into. However, the concept of an ever-changing machine is one that can be incorporated into battling. Particularly in the ability to dodge attacks, but fluidity is vital in moving from attack to defense and stringing attacks together. Observe." He then turned to Cynthia and nodded, causing the ex-master to turn to her Milotic that she had released.

"Milotic, Hydro Pump followed by Aqua Tail."

The Tender Pokémon raised its head before firing a torrent of water at Sharpedo. Sharpedo lurched to the side, to avoid the water before firing his own attack straight back catching Milotic before she could use Aqua Tail. Struggling through the impact of Sharpedo's Water Gun, Milotic surged forwards, only to find that Sharpedo had dived into the water, using a weak Crunch on Milotic as she passed overhead. Sharpedo then spun away from Milotics second Hydro Pump, firing another Water Gun at point-blank range sending Milotic crashing back into the water. Cynthia then called out for her Pokémon to use recover, and to stop the fight as Sharpedo regained his original position.

"So, there you saw Sharpedos fluidity. He dodged an attack before firing his own whilst still having enough time to dodge and attack again." 'Champion' said. "Sharpedo was holding his attacks back there, but you saw how hard it is for Milotic to fight back. The crucial part is when your Pokémon dodge is that they can then get an attack in before their opponent can recover. If they come out facing the wrong way, you have gained nothing. And when done properly, you will see that your fights become more visually inspiring, something of importance to both trainers and coordinators. A Pokémon fighting with the fluidity of water is a sight to behold as well as being very hard to defeat. You will be able to practice this later, but now your Pokémon have seen and heard, recall them."

The trainers did as he ordered, their faces showing their concentration as they listened to 'Champion'. He moved away from the water field after recalling Sharpedo, and stepped towards the Fire field. As the trainers assembled around it, they were ordered to release the fire types that they had. Once the Fire Pokémon were stood on the hot coals, 'Champion' released his Charizard, who stood at the center of the field, tall and proud. 'Champion' then turned back to the trainers.

"Fire itself is dangerous, possessing incredible power but can be hard to control. Trying to get fire to do what you want can be a long, difficult task. Fire Pokémon are similar in nature, often capable of the most powerful attacks, but Fire types are notoriously hard to control. With these Pokémon trust is vital to being able to use them effectively. Once you have Pokémon their trust, you need to work on timing. If you are able to have them strike at the right moment, they can be devastating, but at the wrong moment and it is wasted. Observe."

This time it was Cynthia's Garchomp that had been chosen to help with the demonstration, and at a command from Cynthia he fired a Flamethrower at Charizard, who dodged with a smooth turn. As Garchomp continued to try to hit Charizard, 'Champion' turned back to the trainers.

"At the moment Charizard is merely dodging to try to get no advantage. This is useful at times, but works best when your Pokémon are able to dodge using the least possible effort, like Charizard is now. The lesson from the water can then be applied, and Charizard can dodge and strike back with devastating force from a position where he won't miss. For this example, Charizard will strike an area to the side of Garchomp, as the intention of the lesson is not to injure Cynthia's Pokémon."

Turning back to his Pokémon who was still dodging, 'Champion' gave a command. As the next Flamethrower streaked in, Charizard suddenly jumped, allowing it to pass immediately under him. Before the attack even reached where he had been, Charizard struck back, a devastatingly powerful Blast Burn attack scorching an area ten meters to the side of Garchomp who couldn't move since he was still attacking. Despite the distance, the power of the attack could be felt across the room, and Garchomp visibly reeled backwards at the impact of it. Charizard then settled back to the ground as if he hadn't moved, whilst 'Champion' turned back to the watching trainers.

"Here you saw Charizard not get hit once whilst he struck back with overwhelming force as when the chance presented itself. The concept of a devastating strike comes most naturally to fire Pokémon so I am demonstrating it with them, but with sufficient work any Pokémon is capable of it. And dodging is something that any Pokémon is capable of doing, even one as large as Charizard. He didn't use his wings once, and yet dodged some twenty Flamethrowers. Now, recall your Fire Pokémon."

As the trainers did so, 'Champion' recalled Charizard and stepped over to the Rock field, letting the trainers follow. 'Champion' told them to release Rock or Ground types which they did, before releasing his Onix. As the Rock Snake Pokémon reared his head, 'Champion' turned to the trainers once again.

"Rock itself is unyielding, never giving way and being resolutely stubborn. Rock Pokémon are notorious for their ability to endure attacks. This, once again is something that can be taught to all Pokémon, regardless of type, although this is one of the harder things to teach. However, the hidden strength of the Rock-type is in the ability to strike multiple times whilst enduring a hit. If you attack Onix and he dodges and strikes back he gets in one attack which you might not be able to dodge. Yet if Onix knows that your attack won't hurt him at all, he will endure it and strike back two or three times if he is quick enough. Once again, observe."

Cynthia had sent Garchomp across to face up against Onix. The Pokémon had volunteered to do as much of the training as possible, simply because he wanted to prove to the trainer who had beaten him that he was powerful. 'Champion' had agreed, since Garchomp was capable of most of what he needed. As Garchomp faced up to Onix, Cynthia called out another attack.

"Garchomp, Mud Shot."

As the stream of mud fired from Garchomp, Onix fired off a Rock Throw before using Earthquake. Garchomp was unable to dodge either as he was still using his own attack, and since he couldn't dodge, found himself hit by both. Getting back up, he looked at Onix, the Pokémon unfazed by the hit he had taken.

"There Onix demonstrated that by taking a hit, he can get in two of his own. Garchomp was unable to dodge because he was still attacking. Proceed to the last field."

Recalling Onix, and gesturing for the other trainers to do the same for their Pokémon, 'Champion' strode over to the final field, the standard field. Turning to the trainers, he released his Altaria, and then gave instruction for them to release any Flying Pokémon that they had.

"The last aspect that I will cover is simple; dodging. If you are up against a stronger opponent, a good strategy is to wait for him to make a mistake. Whilst you do that, you cannot let him hit your Pokémon. The best Pokémon at dodging are flying types, simply due to their extra dimension in which to move; the sky. Whilst the other aspects are vital, being able to dodge is crucial in both maximizing the usefulness of the water's fluidity and the fires' power. If you can dodge effectively, you can use the fluidity of water to move between attack and defense as well as the raw power of fire to make each attack count. Observe."

Garchomp started firing Flamethrowers up at Altaria who dodged with ease. Cynthia released her Milotic once again, and soon water attacks interspersed the fire attacks racing into the sky. Altaria dodged them all with ease, barely doing more than slipping side to side. Turning to the trainers, 'Champion' ordered them all to release a Pokémon that was capable of long range attacks, and to move their flying types out of the way. They quickly did so, leaving Altaria still dodging Garchomp and Altaria, whilst a flock of flying Pokémon watched from the side, and thirty more Pokémon stood watching from the ground, with the specialists not releasing any of theirs.

"Now order your Pokémon to attack Altaria." 'Champion' said. "Tell them to keep attacking until I order them to stop, and then watch."

Misty blanched at the instruction, realizing that Altaria was going to be forced to dodge more than thirty Pokémon attacking at different times, with different attacks. They might collide and explode, and other things that could be problematic. Feeling a weight leave her shoulder, Misty glanced down to see Pikachu watching Altaria, his cheeks sparking and a look of determination in his eye. He glanced back at Misty, with a smile, before focusing on the dodging Pokémon above him. Suddenly, all the other Pokémon except Pikachu who were on the ground started firing attacks up.

"Left, swerve up, dive, spiral up, loop down, race right" 'Champion' started calling up to Altaria, who followed his instructions to the letter. As time wore on, the trainers stood in awe of Altaria, as she successfully dodged the attacks minute after minute. As she got close to the ground, Pikachu fired his own electric attack up, which 'Champion' was able to give a command to dodge, much to the electric Pokémons annoyance. After nearly ten minutes of dodging, 'Champion' called a stop to the attacks. Altaria floated up in the sky, before descending to the center of the ring of Pokémon that had tried to knock her out of the sky. Barely breathing heavily at all, Altaria looked around at the Pokémon who had clearly felt the strain of such constant attacking. As the trainers stared in disbelief, 'Champion' spoke once again.

"What you just saw is a Pokémon who is good at dodging. When your Pokémon trust you to be able to guide them to the extent Altaria does with me, it is very hard to hit. The problem being with endurance, which is the second to last thing that I shall discuss with you. Your Pokémon must be physically fit, or they will struggle to be able to use all aspects of their fighting abilities to the greatest extent. For example, my Pokémon are capable of running long distance as well as firing attacks at a faster rate than yours were and for far, far longer. If you are unable to get your Pokémon to be as fit as they can be, then you will struggle to emulate what I have taught you here. As for how to teach this to your Pokémon, that is going to have to be for you to work out. I will say however, that some Pokémon are naturally good at certain aspects of what I have shown you, so you may wish to work with that type of Pokémon. The final thing to consider in battling is strategy. This is something that certain trainers excel at, such as Cynthia. If you want an example from my own fights, watch how Miss Waterflowers Gyarados was defeated when she challenged me."

'Champion' stopped speaking, and recalled his Altaria before striding away from the room. Cynthia recalled her Garchomp and Milotic before starting to talk once again.

"I think 'Champion' has just shown you something very valuable, not to say impressive. He will be around for the rest of the day, although he may not choose to make another appearance. His suggestion was that each of you go and train in the way that you wish for today. The specialists will not be instructing today, and I intend to take my Pokémon for an intense training session particularly with respect to what I've just been shown. I suggest that you do the same."

* * *

"So you see May, two of your friends have chosen to go against me and help out the Pokémon League that removed me from my job."  
"Look Dad, I don't care what you think at the moment. Firstly, Misty and Dawn went to go help Cynthia, the person that maintained your post as Petalburg Gym Leader. Secondly, in his inauguration speech 'Champion' did state that he would be expecting Gyms to train young trainers. There is no reason why you couldn't, yet you didn't. Thirdly, I would have thought that you would have seen that he was serious when he had Pryce thrown out of his Gym."

May was getting exasperated. This was the third time in a week that her father had called her to try to get her to agree with him that he was wrongfully dismissed from his post. Equally, he had called Max twice in the same period to try to get him to agree. This time had been to tell her that her friends Misty and Dawn had gone to spend two weeks working for Cynthia at the Pokémon League. It would have surprised May if they hadn't both spoken to her after their arrival, to make sure that he was alright with it given that the Pokémon League had replaced her father. May was a little upset that he had been replaced, but she felt that perhaps he did somewhat deserve it. Over the last few years Norman had gotten more and more complacent in his role as Gym Leader, and May had heard mutterings around Petalburg City that he was neglecting some of his responsibilities. When she had first heard it, the Princess of Hoenn had been furious, but when she had looked around the city she realized that the stories might be right. There were some very poor regions in Petalburg, and Norman hadn't done much to help out. When May had spoken to her father about it, it had led to the worst argument that she had ever had with her parents, and eventually she had stormed out of the house. It had been two weeks before she spoke to her mother again, and nearly a month before she agreed to talk to her father. Before 'Champions' inspection of the Gym, she had known that a large section of the city was a breeding ground for dissent as there was high unemployment coupled with poor infrastructure. It wasn't like the city authorities, i.e. Norman didn't have the money available, he had merely focused on his gym at the expense of the city. And from what May had heard, when 'Champion' came calling, he had destroyed Norman's two most powerful Pokémon with a single attack, exposing the folly on which his arrogance was built. So whilst May was upset that Norman had been removed from his position as Gym Leader, she was also very grateful that the reason given was that he had not been teaching other trainers, and that there had been no mention in the papers that he might have been responsible for the decline of parts of Petalburg City. There had been rumors that Erika had been removed from Celadon after she had simply failed to manage the cities affairs sufficiently well, and May had feared that something similar would happen to Norman. There had been a considerable backlash against Erika, despite the lack of a confirmed rumor, and May was grateful that her family had avoided something similar. The fact that there wasn't she thought was enough, she didn't need her father constantly trying to persuade her to take an anti-league stance.

"But May, surely you can see that I have been mistreated? I should never have been replaced, it's…" Norman persisted, before being interrupted by his daughter.  
"DAD!" May shouted, finally losing her temper. "I told you the first time, and I'll tell you for the tenth time, I will not support you in this. Drew and I are staying out of things at the moment, and frankly, when I warned you that you needed to devote more time to your other responsibilities you blew up in my face. Face the facts. You alone are responsible for this."

Norman suddenly looked upset.

"Is that really what you think May?" he asked.  
"Yes Dad. I'm really sorry that you were replaced, but I think that to an extent you brought it upon yourself."  
"Very well May. I'm sorry you think that, but it's clear that you've made your choice" Norman said, before hanging up.

May threw her hands up in exasperation. Her father could be so irritating when he felt aggrieved. As she settled back in her chair, she felt hands start to massage her shoulders. Sighing in relief, she relaxed as Drew continued to massage out the stress that invariably came with a call from her father.

"Are you alright?" her concerned boyfriend asked.  
"Yeah. I think he's got the point now." May replied with a small smile. "At the moment I see no reason to join his crusade against the Pokémon Master."  
"Good" Drew enthused. "Because your little brother is insisting that you go out and battle him He seems to be under the impression that you promised him the chance and if you are considering rejoining contests you could use the practice."  
May grinned, before standing up, and giving Drew a quick kiss before they headed out to the field just outside their house in Littleroot Town. She had taken the decision to train for contests once again after her and Drew had gotten fed up of Dawn's bragging. Drew had commented with their Pokémon being as healthy as they could make them as they had had little else to do since they had dropped out of the circuit, she would stand a good chance. A bit of training would get them contest ready once again, and May could then compete with Dawn and see if she really was as good as she said she was, or was just lacking some competition. They suspected that Dawn really was that good, but May and Drew had a few tricks that they had developed, so felt quietly confident that May might be able to cause an upset.

* * *

"Totodile, dodge left and then Water Gun." Mellanie called.  
"Quilava, Flamethrower." Sam countered, a smile on his face.

The stream of water from Totodile was engulfed by the larger fire attack, causing the room to fill with steam. Totodile remained alert, and dived to the side to dodge the Flame Wheel that Quilava had attacked with. As the Big Jaw Pokémon dodged, he turned and fired another Water Gun after his opponent. As the steam cleared, it was evident that Totodile had missed with his attack, as Quilava looked totally unhurt. The two youngsters had spent nearly two hours working with their starters on how to dodge. Mellanie had found it far easier, with her Totodile being an excellent dodger already. Sam had a much harder time of it, with Quilava not being anywhere near as skilled at dodging. Totodile seemed to take a kind of pleasure from dodging the attacks of his counterpart, whilst Quilava seemed far more inclined to simply attack. However, with the effort that the trainers were putting in, Quilava was improving, but the style jarred against Sam's own way of battling. They were now testing their results against each other in one of the training rooms where they were alone since most of the other trainers were in one of the main rooms. During the battle however, Sam had used the fact that Quilava had greater power than Totodile to block Mellanies attacks and frustrate her, with a great deal of success.

"Totodile, close the distance"  
"Quilava, end it"

As Totodile ran at Quilava, the Volcano Pokémon reared up on its heels and fired a huge torrent of fire at Totodile. The Big Jaw Pokémon suddenly dived to the side, but Quilava was able to redirect his flame and land a heavy hit on Totodile, sending him reeling backwards. The Water type struggled back to his feet, only for a voice to ring out.

"Stay there Totodile"

'Champion' was striding across the room towards the two youngsters, a magenta cat padding along beside him. As he reached Totodile he put a hand on the Pokémons head. Under the eyes of the two trainers, Totodiles injuries faded away and he quickly got up with a grin. 'Champion' turned around to face the two stunned trainers.

"What you just say was a simple healing of a Pokémon. Do not discuss that with anybody else. Understood?" When Sam and Mellanie nodded, 'Champion' started talking again.

"Good. Mellanie, what were you doing when you had Totodile charge in there?"  
"Sir?"  
"When you attacked, you were charging at a Pokémon which clearly has a great deal of firepower. Why?"  
"I… err…"

Mellanie was lost for words. Throughout the battle she had struggled to get a clear hit on Quilava, so when she was trying to carve out an opportunity. Before she could stammer anything else, Sam stepped in.

"Sir, knowing her style as I do, I think she was trying to force Quilava to attack and leave an opening for Totodile. The way that he dodged when Quilava attacked nearly worked, but Quilava and I have trained for him to be able to sustain his most powerful attacks for a little bit longer in case opponents try to dodge them."

Sam fell silent as 'Champion' focused on him. Stepping past Sam he stood in front of Quilava who rubbed his head against 'Champions' leg, remembering the man that had been kind to him before he joined Sam. As he petted the Volcano Pokémon, 'Champion' sent his aura into the Pokémon to see if what Sam said was true. What he found was an unusually large ability to hold quantities of energy, which did indeed mean that Quilava would be able to sustain his attacks for longer. Turning back to the two trainers, 'Champion' started to talk once again.

"From what I saw, you've been working on dodging. May I ask why?"  
"From what you showed us today, it seemed to fit Totodile the best" Mellanie said. "He has always enjoyed dodging, he treats it like a game."  
"I see." 'Champion' said. "And Sam?"  
"I thought the way your Charizard was able to dodge was awesome. Quilava thought the same, so we agreed to work with Mel on it."  
"So you both do it because your Pokémon enjoy it?"  
"Well… yes" Sam said. "Isn't that the point? You said it yourself, respect the Pokémon."

'Champion' tilted his head slightly, to look at Sam. He then turned and strode across the room, to stand in the trainer's box facing the two young trainers. Realizing what he wanted, the Sam and Mellanie looked at each other in fear. Quilava and Totodile glanced at their trainers, and then at each other before taking a stance facing 'Champion'.

"Totodile, are you sure about this?" Mellanie asked, only for the Big Jaw Pokémon to nod at her.

Watching from across the battlefield, 'Champion' looked over his shoulder.

"Espeon, this one is yours" he said, before raising his voice to talk to the two trainers on the other side as the cat padded out into the field. "This isn't a battle, don't worry. I'm testing to see how good you are at dodging, and even fighting back if you get the chance. Espeon won't fight at full strength, and her attacks will be held back. See how well you do."

As his opponents registered what he was actually doing, the gem on Espeon's head glowed, and a small beam fired out of it. Totodile instinctively dived out of the way, but the beam followed him, catching him and sending the Water type sprawling across the floor.

"Quilava, Flamethrower" Sam ordered. As the Pokémon fired a fire attack at Espeon, the Sun Pokémon just lazily looked at him, before firing her own attack that collided, stopping the stream of flames in its tracks. As Sam reacted to this attack, another weak Psybeam fired at Totodile who had regained his feet.

"Totodile, dodge left" Mellanie commanded.  
"Quilava, help Totodile by attacking Espeon." Sam ordered.

As the two Pokémon followed their trainers instructions, the Psybeam flying at Totodile suddenly changed direction to target Quilava, as two more flew from Espeon arcing around to hit Quilava. Sam however, was very quick to react to the incoming strikes.

"Quilava, Flame Wheel backwards" he called, with his Pokémon reacting instantly, and the Psybeams missing the target. As Quilava arced around, Espeon's Psychic threw him across the field. The battle continued in this way for a few more minutes, with neither Totodile nor Quilava able to get a clear shot at Espeon, who was toying with the, as she had been ordered. Mellanie and Sam were able to keep their Pokémon away from most of the attacks, but the occasional one came through. After a while, 'Champion' called a halt, allowing Sam and Mellanie a break from having to coordinate their Pokémon so closely. Watching them carefully, 'Champion' could see that they were tired, and their Pokémon had begun to struggle at the start. Striding across the field, he put a hand on each of their Pokémon to restore the energy that they had lost, before approaching the trainers.

"Not bad at all. You should be proud, your Pokémon are well trained, and clearly trust you. You have both been trainers for just a few weeks and yet you both have three badges and Pokémon who trust you. I think that these two will help you for today."

As he finished speaking he took out two Pokéballs, handing one to each of the trainers in front of him. He then walked past them, Espeon at his side as he left the room, leaving the two youngsters staring at the Pokéballs in their hands. With a shrug, Mellanie released the Pokémon in hers, before Sam did the same. They watched with awe as 'Champions' Charizard and Sceptile appeared. Before the trainers could do anything, Sceptile stepped forwards and started to talk quickly to Totodile and Quilava.

_"I see you passed._ _We were left with you to teach you what we can." _Sceptile said.  
_"Passed?" _Quilava asked.  
_"The fighting you were just doing was a test. Between us, Charizard and myself will teach you what you were shown this morning. We are capable of all of the aspects that your trainers were shown"_

As the Forest Pokémon stopped talking, Totodile and Quilava turned back to their trainers. Over the time they had been together they had found that the best way to get a message across to their trainers was to talk whilst miming the motions. After a few minutes of this, Mellanie and Sam had gotten the idea, and released the remainder of their Pokémon, who lined up in front of their two instructors.

_"Right"_ said Charizard, speaking for the first time. _"Who thinks they can hit as hard as me?"_

* * *

James arrived late at night with Meowth in tow, after 'Champion' had left for Goldenrod City. They was directed straight up to Cynthia's office, where the ex-Pokémon Master greeted them.

"Thank you for coming James. I appreciate it." Cynthia started.  
"It's not every day that somebody like you requests me to visit, and especially not in with the criteria. May I know why I couldn't arrive earlier?" James said.  
"If you had, 'Champion' would know. He still might, but he won't be able to do anything about it."  
"So what don't you want him to know?"  
"He is attacking a Team Rocket base."

James and Meowth shared a stunned glance. As far as they knew, Team Rocket had collapsed years ago; they had been among the few to notice the sharp decline in crime. They had gone with Jessie to the old headquarters and found them deserted. To hear that the organization had resurfaced was shocking. James face sharpened in realization as he worked out what Cynthia wanted, something that she didn't miss.

"Yes James." She said. "I know you are an ex-Rocket, and so I need information. What we discuss here is not to be talked about anywhere else, understood? You too Meowth." They both nodded. "Good. This is all classified, but three weeks ago Gym Leader Falkner in Violet City, Johto, found a cadre of Team Rocket grunts stealing Pokémon. He took them into custody and alerted us that the organization has resurfaced. Since then we have hidden the information from the world as we try to deal with them quietly. Two weeks ago, 'Champion' found a recruitment station in Celadon City, which gave him the information he needed to launch an attack on a base on the edge of Kanto, taken the whole base captive. From that base, he found the location of their main headquarters, and has just left to assault it. What I need to know is simple. Is there any chance that Team Rocket could know he is coming and set a trap?"

James sat quietly for a long moment, before turning to Meowth.

"Meowth, I have an idea, but you were closer to the boss than I ever was. Do you know of anything like this happening before?"  
"Nope." The Scratch Cat Pokémon replied. "Nobody attacks Rocket."  
"Clearly somebody does" James said drily. "My thoughts would be that if Giovanni knows that the recruitment base was attacked, he would be able to work it out. And if he knows that, he is smart enough to set a trap for any would be attacker"  
"So the worst case scenario is that he not only knows that there is an attack coming, he will be able to plan for it, and potentially catch the attacker?" Cynthia persisted.  
"Yes. All I can say is that 'Champion' has some good back-up. In fact, I would've thought he would take you. Why hasn't he?"  
"He is attacking alone." Cynthia said bluntly.

James visibly paled at this news. He knew just how well guarded the Rocket headquarters was. Whilst an intruder might be able to get inside, they would surely be overrun by the guards.

"If he is attacking by himself, he will most likely be overrun by Rockets." James said.  
"No he won't. He took out some six hundred Rockets at the training base without any problems. If all he has to face is Rockets, I think he will win. Do you know if there will be anything else he has to fight against?" Cynthia asked.  
"Sorry, nothing we are aware of."  
"Very well. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to ask you to remain nearby until we know for certain."  
"Of course. May I know where the headquarters are?"  
"Goldenrod City."  
"Thank you."

Standing up, James shook Cynthia's hand, and turned towards the door, beckoning for Meowth to follow him. As they walked out, he started to mentally plan how to get his own source of information from Jessie who was still in Goldenrod. He didn't want to tell Cynthia, but perhaps he could find out some more about the elusive 'Champion' whilst still keeping his ear close to the ground to find out about the demise of Team Rocket.

* * *

Ash stood watching the building. This was behavior that would be odd for anybody at four in the morning, but it was especially strange given his lack of movement. That coupled with the way that the shadows around him meant that he was virtually invisible, just looking around a wall, and the Rockets inside would have been very interested to know that he was there. Beside him, but around the corner, there was a flash Alakazam, Beautifly and Ninetales appeared. Turning to look at his Pokémon, Ash raised an eyebrow at Alakazam.

_"Twelve floors above ground, sixteen below. Minimal guards upstairs, heavy security down"_ the Psi Pokémon said. Ash nodded calmly. Beautifly then fluttered to his shoulder and started to mutter into his ear. When the Butterfly Pokémon was finished, Ash looked down at Ninetales.  
_"Smell of_ _Pokémon and human, nothing else"_ the Fox Pokémon said, whilst stretching.  
"No traps?" Ash asked, with all his Pokémon shaking their heads at him.

Ash nodded again before turning on his heel and striding away, the Pokémon following him. He had been watching the building that Team Rocket had hidden their base under, and had sent the scouts in. To his surprise, they hadn't been able to find a trap which he took to mean that it was hidden beyond their capabilities to find. That alone surprised him; his scouts were among the best in discovering traps, but he couldn't believe that Giovanni hadn't set one. As the group reached a small park, he turned back to his scouts.

"Right. Giovanni, is he there?" Alakazam nodded. "And no sign of a trap?" Another nod. "Only smells of Pokémon and humans?" This time it was Ninetales who nodded. "This is odd. Espeon?"

At his command, the Sun Pokémon slunk out from where she had waited. She moved up alongside him, and fixed her gaze on Alakazam. Thoughts started to flicker between the two of them at lightning speed, with Espeon opening her end to Ash.

_"Something feels odd" Espeon started.  
"A lot of_ _Pokémon were there." Alakazam said. "They could have hidden something in the crowd, even we can't pick out anything special."  
" Pokémon won't be able to stand up against us" Espeon said.  
"Enough numbers? Split us up?"  
"I don't know. Did you find evidence about them knowing about Kanto?"  
"Yes. One of the executives was thinking about a way to replace the losses there. Apparently they needed the recruits we captured."  
"Really?" Espeon asked. "Did he say what for?"  
"Some plan they had. He didn't know the details."  
"Giovanni would, but we can't reach him."  
"Tomorrow" Alakazam said.  
"Indeed. Anything suspicious? I don't want to have to go in again."  
"I'm afraid not" Alakazam said._

Suddenly Ash's cut across the two Psychic types. "Nobody is going back in tonight" he said firmly. "Tomorrow we will spring the trap, and as long as you're ready we will be fine. Alakazam, whatever happens, you must stay with me, that is the only way you will know when to flee."

The Psi Pokémon looked at Ash, not particularly happy with the plan. Ash just chuckled.

"I know you disagree, but this is non-negotiable. You all know that I can break out when I want, and you will the one bringing everybody back in when the time is right. We will succeed this time."

* * *

Giovanni was sat in his dark room when the door behind him opened. As his chair swung around, the Agent who was in charge of catching the Pokémon Master stepped in.

"He is in the city Sir" the Agent said.  
"No scouts found him?"  
"No sir. We only know because of _him_"  
"I see. How did he get in?"  
"We don't know Sir."  
"Guess."  
"On foot? Maybe underground? Honestly sir, if it is the Pokémon Master, it could be any way at all."  
"Are you ready for him?"  
"Yes. However, I must request you have a way out if he breaks through sir, we can't lose you."  
"I do. Dismissed Agent."

Giovanni swung his chair back around to face the screens in front of him. They were showing him the security cameras from the whole building. When 'Champion' broke in, he would know about it instantly. There was no way that he could be taken by surprise. And the trap was ready. However strong the Pokémon Master was, Giovanni knew he wouldn't be ready for what was prepared for him. Smiling to himself he whispered into the silence.

"I'm ready for you 'Champion' . You will regret ever attacking me."

* * *

Ash was back in front of the building. The sky was beginning to brighten, but he didn't take any notice. He turned back around the corner, nodding to the Pokémon who were there. Alakazam's eyes flashed for a moment, and then all the Pokémon vanished, except Alakazam. Ash then strode forwards, reaching the entrance to the door that opened in front of him. Inside it looked like a standard office. Ash nodded to the receptionist as he strode past, before she suddenly slumped onto her desk. He raised an eyebrow at Alakazam who remained stonily impassive. As they moved through the relatively small ground floor, few men who were around collapsed as Alakazam used a psychic attack to overwhelm them. As they finished, Espeon the lift doors opened and Espeon stepped out.

"_We are bringing down the twelve people upstairs" _she said, bringing a nod from Ash. Within ten minutes, all the people captured upstairs were arranged on the ground floor, tied up and knocked out. Ash strode back towards the lift, seeing that there was one button to level -1. He turned back to his Pokémon.

"Well done so far, but they will know we are here. When we get downstairs, you know what to do. Any Rockets we see knock out and we'll deal with later. Stay close where possible, but listen for orders."

His Pokémon nodding their agreement, Ash recalled all his Pokémon, and then strode into the left. As it descended, he was ready to release his team and have the fun begin.

"He is here."  
"Yes sir. I expect him to take the lift down."  
"Intercept him as soon as possible. Minimal damage."  
"Yes sir. Grunts will deploy whilst I get him ready."

Giovanni nodded, and turned to regard the screens once again. He was impressed at the audacity of the Pokémon Master, to simply stride in, and knock out the few people he had upstairs. As he watched the lift that his opponent was in descend he permitted himself a small smile. He was right, the man attacking was the Pokémon Master, and his Pokémon were almost the same team that had nearly ruined everything four years back just with a few additions. His instincts were still good, and this time he had a weapon to make sure that he was victorious in the struggle. On his screens he watched a force of nearly a dozen rockets sprint down the corridor and take up position facing the lift. They all released Pokémon, ready to attack when the doors opened. As he watched, the lift came to a stop, and the doors slowly slid open. The surrounding Pokémon all fired in attacks, and the room was filled with smoke. Suddenly a series of beams flew out, hitting the Pokémon surrounding the lift. Many of them were sent reeling backwards. The last thing Giovanni saw was the silhouettes of Pokémon materializing in the smoke before the feed from the camera died.

Ash stepped over the prone bodies of the Rockets. His Pokémon were all out and they had easily dealt with the Pokémon who were waiting for them. Glancing down the corridor he saw another group of Rockets start to move towards him. Nodding to Rapidash, Ash let the Fire Horse Pokémon go racing towards them. The speed of the incoming Pokémon left the Rockets no chance to try to avoid the attack, and sent them flying. Gathering his aura around him, Ash started to run down the corridor, his Pokémon firing attacks into every room they passed before catching up again. They moved through the first floor with incredible speed, Ash not bothering to slow down as his Pokémon systematically knocked out every Rocket that they came across, whilst dealing with all the cameras. As he reached a set of stairs leading down a level, Ash came to a stop. Within moments his Pokémon had appeared behind him once again. On the floor behind him were the stricken bodies of nearly a hundred Rocket grunts. Ash gestured to Alakazam who tried to teleport to where Giovanni was hidden, but the Psi Pokémon shook his head once again. Whatever interference Giovanni had, it was too strong for Alakazam to break through without something to focus on. Ash then leaped forwards, dropping down the entire flight of stairs in two bounds, and hitting the floor at the bottom and rolling before coming to his feet. In front of him was a shocked Rocket grunt who had clearly been about to lead the squad behind him up the stairs. As his jaw dropped at the sight of the figure in front of him, the Pokémon Master's hat still in place, he didn't see the fist flying towards him to send him flying through the air, taking out two of his men in the process. As the remainder desperately fumbled for Pokéballs, Ash stepped forwards, his Pokémon fanning out behind him.

Giovanni watched the invaders progress, no emotion on his face. Inside his head on the other hand, he was terrified. Last time this had happened, he hadn't a chance to watch the progress. This time he had a map of the facility on one of his screens and he was watching sections of it turn red as the cameras were taken out. Whenever 'Champion' appeared on the cameras, the feed appeared on a different screen, but it rarely lasted more than a few moments. What was evident however, was that 'Champion' was a master of battling, not just with Pokémon but by himself. Giovanni had watched more than a dozen Rockets think that they could take him in a fight, only to be sent flying within moments. The man's movement was inhumanely fast, his strength staggering. Coupled with the sheer power of the Pokémon backing him up, and Giovanni was very grateful that he had been able to set a trap. Even now he was wondering if it would be enough to stop the onslaught. As he watched 'Champion' charge straight down another flight of stairs, down to the ninth floor of the basement, a voice crackled in the speaker behind him.

"Sir, the trap is ready. He will be taken on the tenth floor."

Giovanni nodded to himself before speaking out loud, letting the speakers built into the room pick up the noise and send it back to the agent. "Very good Agent. Have you been tracking his progress?"  
"Yes sir. And I'm glad we have this asset, or we would be in serious trouble."

Giovanni didn't bother answering, as he watched a huge section of the ninth floor turn red on the floor plan. Suddenly he saw the camera's pick up a figure moving straight towards the stairs down another level. Behind him were half a dozen Pokémon. Giovanni wondered idly why the camera's in this section hadn't been knocked out, as well as wondering why the invader was moving ahead without half of his Pokémon as they were still clearing the eighth and ninth floors. And as the man leaped down the stairs, and came up rolling, all the cameras covering the entirety of the tenth floor and above suddenly cut out, leaving Giovanni in the dark.

Ash came out of the roll, as his Pokémon landed beside him. Espeon and Alakazam both looked at him, they knew that this was it. Espeon's Psychic had just knocked out all the camera's on the floor, and there were nearly twenty terrified looking Rockets in front of them. Aggron and Charizard stepped forwards, both firing off huge attacks. Had Ash not been prepared, he might very well have been hit when the two attacks suddenly reversed straight back at him, but he dived out-of-the-way just in time. Coming back up, Ash was suddenly jerked forwards by a powerful force. Espeon growled and he started to slide back towards her. As the conflicting forces pulled him, Ash gritted his teeth against the pain before he looked Espeon in the eye.

"Espeon, get out of here. There is nothing else you can do. Get out of here and come back to save me."

As the words came out of his mouth, Espeon relinquished her hold, despite nearly winning the psychic battle and looked at Alakazam who crossed his spoons before all of Ash's Pokémon in the facility vanished. Know without any support, Ash started to slide towards the Rockets, before he came to a stop at a junction in the corridor. A shadow passed over him, blocking out the lights from the ceiling. As Ash looked up, he saw tall figure towering above him, standing at two meters tall. The figure was heavily armored, with only one part of him not covered. It was his tail. Behind the helmet, the figures eyes glowed blue, and Ash was jerked to his feet to look into the armored face of a Pokémon he thought he had seen the last of four years previously. Mewtwo.


	11. Chapter 11

_Four years earlier:_

The legendary had been attacked by Team Rocket who had used the same machines to try and subdue him that had been used at Mt. Quena, merely more advanced. Despite the fact that he was still resisting the torture, Mewtwo had no strength left to try to escape, and so was unable to stop his captors from transporting him towards Viridian City. He knew that if he got there, they would find a way to completely subdue him, and his freedom would be completely gone. Resisting for so long had exhausted the legendary, and he knew he was only a day or so away from Viridian. Mewtwo was resigned to his capture, and had only resisted out of his fury at having to serve Team Rocket once more. It had been clear to the Rockets who were escorting the van he had been transported in that he was being slowly broken. Mewtwo had been in the dark, too weak to even send his mind out to work out where they were, with only the noise of the van moving to focus on. That and the sound of the machines attached to the inside. As he listened, Mewtwo suddenly felt the van stop. Shouting from the driver. An explosion. Mewtwo suddenly started paying a lot more attention, a new reserve of strength surfacing. He stayed in the van, listening hard. He heard the sounds of Pokémon attacks, lots of them. As Mewtwo waited, the number of attacks started to decline, until suddenly there was a series of massive explosions. The van rocked back and forth before settling back on its tires once again. Mewtwo waited, and suddenly the doors of the van burst open, and sunlight shone in. A figure stood at the door, only a silhouette against the light. Another silhouette appeared beside him, before a brilliantly colored beam flew into the interior of the van, shattering the four devices along the walls. Released from the machines that had tortured him, Mewtwo dropped to the ground, landing on all fours before slowly climbing to his feet. As he looked up, the figure was gone from the entrance to the van, and so Mewtwo stepped out of his prison, into the sunlight he thought he would never see again. The back of a van was pointing up a hill, evidently twisted from the road, and in front of Mewtwo was the figure that had freed him, ten Pokémon stood in a line behind him. Slowly turning, Mewtwo surveyed the wreckage of the convoy behind him, before turning back to his rescuer.

Ash stood there facing the Pokémon in front of him. Mewtwo stood tall, but the injuries to him were. Behind him were the wrecks of more than a dozen vehicles, the bodies of many of the drivers still in the burnt out wreckage. The Rocket convoy had been totally wiped out by Ash's Pokémon and Ash himself, Rockets lay on the ground, many of them dead. The ferocity and surprise of the attack had completely and utterly overwhelmed the Rockets, despite the large escort. Ash had personally added three to the body count, in addition to those he had only knocked out. Mewtwo looked him in the eye, recognizing the trainer that he had last seen years earlier at Mount Quena. As Ash watched, Mewtwos strength finally gave out, and he slumped to the ground.

Ash had left medicine for the Legendary to help him recover, along with a large quantity of food. Mewtwo had tried to find him to thank him, having released the clone Pokémon into the wild some time earlier . A month later he had been flying in a remote region when he saw ruins. Dropping down, Mewtwo found that it was a Team Rocket base. In the aftermath of this discovery, Mewtwo had gone back to Viridian City. He had stood in the ruins of the Rocket headquarters, and tried to work out what had happened. An organization that had the power to snatch a legendary couldn't just collapse, yet collapse was what had happened. What eventually clued Mewtwo in was the lack of bodies. When he had woken up again after his rescue, there hadn't been a single body or any wrecks of vehicles left. The whole area had been cleared by Ash. Inside the Rocket headquarters was the same, so Mewtwo assumed that it was Ash who had attacked it. He never found the trainer again.

_Present Day_

Mewtwo stood watching the trainer to whom he owed his life. It was the early hours of the morning, the day after the failed raid. Ash was attached to the wall by manacles around his wrists. Behind him was the same machine that was built into Mewtwo's armor. It sent an electric charge into the targets body. In Mewtwo it encouraged obedience by the simple reasoning of if he tried to resist, the charge in his armor was enough to seriously injure the legendary, potentially even kill him. It also kept him weak enough to prevent him from forcing it out quickly enough to stop it overwhelming him. The one behind Ash was enough to keep the trainer in a degree of pain, but not enough to cause permanent damage. If he tried to resist, however the charge would be turned up massively. The Rocket who had secured the manacles around him had told him so. Ash wasn't particularly inclined to test it out. There were four Rockets stood outside the cell which was in one of the lowest levels of the Team Rocket headquarters, with Mewtwo stood outside. Tentatively, the Psychic legendary sent out his mind, wincing as the trainer on the wall jerked in pain.

"_Sorry" _Mewtwo's said telepathically, without the guards knowing. "_If I had known it was you, I would have refused and faced the consequences."  
_Inside Mewtwo's head, there was an image of Ash, his body stance neutral, a shadow across his face. "_It's fine. How did they catch you?" _  
Mewtwo sighed, it was embarrassing for him to be captured by Giovanni again. "_Bad luck on my part. Giovanni was apparently looking for me, and I just managed to walk straight into a squad of his Rockets. Before I could stop them, one of them informed their boss of what they had found, and next thing I knew there was a fleet of helicopters heading for me. I was worn down over time, and a Pokémon of theirs managed to get this helmet onto my head. It has the same thing that is in your back just it was turned up far higher. In the time it took me to get rid of it, they managed to attach more, and soon I was caught, having to try to fight_ _off the Rockets whilst enduring the pain. It was too much. When I woke up again, Giovanni was there, telling me that I would serve him, or he would kill me. Each of the pieces of my armor has one of these devices, and I can't disable them all simultaneously, their constant charge prevents me from getting back to full strength."  
"If you were at full strength could you get out?" _Ash asked.  
"_I think so" _Mewtwo answered. "_But that won't happen. They are sure to make sure that I can't regain strength, the power in the suits circuits is enough for that"_

An image of a grin flashed in Mewtwo's mind. It was at this point that Mewtwo realized something. Despite the fact that he was closely linked to Ash's mind, he couldn't feel any pain radiating from the trainer. Yet when he watched Ash, he could see him writhing in apparent pain, something that the guards had noted. Equally, for somebody who wasn't psychic, Ash seemed to have an excellent grasp of mental communication. Now suspicious, Mewtwo started questioning the captive once again.

"_Why aren't you in pain?"_ the Psychic legendary asked.  
"_I'm blocking it. Don't tell them, I can only block so much." _Ash replied._  
"Block? But you're not psychic, how can you block something like that?"  
"Correct. Suffice it to say, I have ways."_

Mewtwo stood staring at the trainer who still twisted as if he was in pain. His acting was superb, if Mewtwo didn't know, he would assume that Ash was feeling every bit of the pain that he should be. And there was something else wrong with him. The first two times Mewtwo met Ash, he had been surprised by the amount of emotion that ran through the trainer. Now he could feel nothing. Emotion simply didn't seem to be part of his make-up anymore. Mewtwo reached out with his mind again, surprised to feel another presence withdraw as he touched the Pokémon Master's mind. Unable to work out what the second presence was, Mewtwo decided to focus on his conversation with Ash.

"_I am sorry for getting you in here." _Mewtwo said, trying to apologize once again.  
"_I'm here."_ Ash said, cutting the legendary off. "_You can get out."  
"I can't. If I try, the suit electrocutes me."  
"When I insult you, use your tail to start to strangle me."  
"WHAT? Are you insane?"_

Ash didn't bother to answer with his mind, merely glaring at Mewtwo and speaking out loud.

"You know Mewtwo, its funny. You were losing the tug of war when I ordered my Pokémon to pull out. A single Psychic type able to beat you. I thought you were supposed to be strong?"

Instinctively, Mewtwo growled with rage, raising a hand to strike at Ash. As he realized what he was doing, he lowered his hand, and let his tail to snake out and wrap around Ash's neck. As soon as it made contact, Mewtwo felt himself getting stronger. Energy was flowing into him, and suddenly, Mewtwo realized that there was more than enough to overload the armor and allow himself to escape. Behind him, he heard a loud cough. Spinning around, his tail still wrapped around Ash's throat, Mewtwo saw a screen with Giovanni's face in it. The man looked pleased, as if he had just gained something important.

"Mewtwo, if you could not murder our guest, I would appreciate it."

Relaxing his tail, Mewtwo stepped away from Ash who groaned, the marks around his neck clearly visible. Mewtwo stalked away from the cell, before focusing his attention on the screen, where Giovanni was now addressing Ash.

"'Champion'. Nice of you to join us." Giovanni said.  
"Giovanni." Ash replied, his voice totally devoid of emotion.  
"I apologize for Mewtwo's actions. I suggest that you refrain from insulting him, he seems to take them personally."  
"Perhaps he objects to his own captivity?"

Giovanni's face smiled tightly. He moved his arm, pushing a button off-screen. Ash suddenly screamed in pain, as the charge flowing into him trebled. Casting his mind into Ash's once again, Mewtwo found to his surprise that the amount of electricity that Ash was deflecting was greater than he himself was being subjected to. To his even greater shock, he found that none was getting through to Ash. The scream was faked, making Mewtwo reflect that Ash was a stunningly good actor. As Giovanni pushed a different button, Ash flopped down in the manacles, before raising his head once again.

"I suggest more strongly that you refrain from angering me." Giovanni said his lip curling. "I don't have the same restraint when it comes to me being angered."  
Ash remained silent, which seemed to amuse Giovanni.  
"You know you will be missed?" Giovanni taunted. "I might reveal that you fell into a trap and were captured, I might make it look like you defected. Without you able to counter the story, what Team Rocket says will be believed. And with you removed, the Pokémon League is currently leaderless, and has nothing that can stand up to Mewtwo, or our numbers. You have caused the collapse of the Pokémon League with your captivity. And to think you thought to strengthen it." Giovanni tutted. "I guess even the best intentions can end badly. I'll talk to you again soon, 'Champion'. After all, you're not going anywhere."

The screen went back. Mewtwo turned back around, before linking his mind to Ash's once again.

"_'Champion'?"_

_"My name is a secret Mewtwo. You are among a very small group that knows it."_

_"You're Pokémon Master and nobody knows who you are?"_

_"Yes"_

Mewtwo regarded the trainer, and when nothing else was forthcoming, he turned away. The Psychic type stalked up the corridor away from the cell, before walking up to topmost basement level. When he felt that there were no Rockets in the immediate vicinity, Mewtwo sent out a wave of Psychic energy from his body. Every single one of his piece of armor flew off, hitting the walls. Stretching in relief as for the first time in months Mewtwo was free from being electrocuted, Mewtwo suddenly heard an alarm going off. His face was utterly expressionless when he turned to face the squad of Rockets who raced around the corner, responding to the alarm. The leader of the squad took one look at the armor on the floor and paled. Before he could give any commands to his squad, or even release a Pokéball, all the Rockets were lifted up from the ground and sent crashing into the wall behind them. Mewtwo then raised a hand to the ceiling above his head which promptly collapsed, giving him a route to the ground floor. Floating up, Mewtwo looked around. The area he had come up seemed fairly empty, with not a single human in sight. Flying at the doors, Mewtwo opened them with a Psychic attack and flew out, exiting into the deserted city, before flying into the sky. Back in the cell, Ash heard the alarm, acknowledging it silently. He had at least managed to get Mewtwo out safely. The Pokémon's distrust of humans should make sure that the legendary was out-of-the-way until he had dealt with Team Rocket.

* * *

A knock on Cynthia's door caused her to groan out loud. She hadn't wanted to be at the office so early, but she hadn't had a quantities of paperwork had piled up from the various gym leaders and their trainees, and the camp had made it hard for her to keep up. Raising her voice to be audible to the person outside, she called for them to enter. As the door swung open, Cynthia was busy scanning a report from the Cinnabar Island Gym. Without looking up, she started speaking.

"Take a seat, I'll be with you in a moment."  
_"I suggest you give me your full attention now Cynthia" _a voice spoke inside her head.

Slowly lowering the report, Cynthias head swung around to see a large bipedal Pokémon stood there, its arms crossed and its eyes glowing a bright blue. The report fell from Cynthia's hand as she realized just what was in her office. The Pokémon lowered its head, before reaching out to her mind once again.

"_I am Mewtwo. In the absence of the_ _Pokémon_ _Master, 'Champion', I believe that you would be the best person for me to talk to."_

Cynthia just stared. It took a lot to surprise her, but this had completely stumped her. To meet a legendary Pokémon was rare, to talk to one rarer. To have one walk into your office and start a conversation was unheard of. All Cynthia could do was a weak "ahhh"

"_I didn't think this would be so hard." _Mewtwo mused. "_This is important, so say when you're ready."_

Cynthia nodded, before shutting her eyes, rubbing them and opening them again. After deciding that there was a Pokémon in her office, talking to her, she started to calm down. Having finally gotten a grip on her thoughts, she leaned back in her chair, resting her arms on the rests, gesturing for Mewtwo to try again.

"_Finally"_ the Legendary complained. "_I need to talk to you about 'Champion'."  
_Realizing that Mewtwo knew who 'Champion' was, Cynthia was suddenly more alert. "Why?"  
"_Because he is being held captive inside a Team Rocket base in…"  
"_Goldenrod City. I know, he told me where he was going. What do you mean held captive? How was he captured?"

To Cynthia's surprise, Mewtwos head bowed, almost in shame. Her mind now working at full speed again, she was quick to spot the connection.

"You captured him didn't you? You were the trap that Team Rocket were going to set?"  
"_Indeed. I had been held captive with them for some time, and they had a way of ensuring that I did as ordered. A painful way of ensuring it. I was the one who restrained 'Champion' so that he could be tied up."_

Before Mewtwo could say anything else, Cynthia held up a hand, before realizing that Mewtwo wasn't technically talking. Despite this, the Pokémon got the message and stopped speaking into Cynthia's head as she picked up the phone on her desk, quickly dialing in a number.

"James. Hello, sorry about the hour. I need you to come into the office as soon as possible. I need some advice from you with regard to the problem." A pause. "Yes, something has come up regarding 'Champion'." Another pause. "That would be a good idea. Thank you James."

Putting the phone down once again, Cynthia turned back to Mewtwo.

"How did you escape?"

"_I am unsure."_ Mewtwo replied. "_Something 'Champion' did restored my strength to beyond the point where I could break out. I don't know how."_

Cynthia looked hard at the Pokémon, before deciding that he was telling the truth. Another mystery for her to try to solve.

"Can you tell me everything? I presume you are informing me so that he can be rescued?"

"_Yes."_

"Right. In that case, anything you can tell me about where he is being held is crucial. When we are done here, I will start assembling trainers to join me in a second assault."

Mewtwo tilted his head slightly, regarding Cynthia before stepping away from the door. He stood facing Cynthia once again who was still sat behind her desk, before reaching out with his mind to talk once again.

_"To attack the Rocket base, you are going to need a lot of trainers. Inside there are twelve floors above ground and sixteen below. The ones below contain six dormitory levels, giving the base a theoretical capacity of nearly three thousand Rockets, although there was never that many there. At most I saw several hundred, although many of these are high-ranking Rockets, so harder to defeat."_

Mewtwo kept talking into Cynthia's head, describing how Ash was being held, as well as the way that he had been captured. Cynthia was typing furiously on her keyboard, writing down anything that she felt important. As Mewtwo finished detailing the defenses, as well as the location of 'Champion's' cell, the phone on Cynthia's desk rang.

"Hello? Yes, send him up. Tell the specialists to start without me today; I have things to sort out. Thank you."

Putting the phone down once again, Cynthia fixed her attention back on Mewtwo, as he confirmed that there was nothing else to say. The door behind the Pokémon swung open, and James and Meowth stepped in, jumping in surprise when they saw Mewtwo, although recognizing him from events on Mount Quena. As Cynthia gestured them towards chairs in front of her desk, she sighed. Today was going to be a very, very long day.

* * *

Espeon sat at the window, looking towards the Team Rocket headquarters. It bemused her to think that she knew that the man who her trainer was trying to reach was in the building, and her trainer was captive there, yet she couldn't do anything about either. When Ash had told her the plan, she had instinctively argued against it. The idea of leaving him for that length of time was something that jarred against her. In the last seven years, she had never gone more than a day without seeing her trainer. Now it had been five, and every time she talked to him, she was told she had to wait longer. She understood the logic, having been with him when they finally reached the crime boss's office four years earlier to find that he had escaped, but it was still hard. She had barely moved from the window in all the time since his capture, using Psychic to bring her food to her. It was a mood mirrored among all the Pokémon that had been with Ash on the Day of Departure. The ones that had joined him since then loved their trainer, but they hadn't seen what lows he had sunk to. No words could convey the raw emotion that had been invoked in the Pokémon and their trainer that day. It was the reason that the Pokémon that had experienced it remained by their trainer always. They refused to leave him alone simply because they wanted him to know that they would never leave him. Equally, the fury that these five Pokémon held for those that had left wasn't really mirrored among the nine. Over the last five days these four Pokémon had waited together, missing their trainer. Their anger towards Team Rocket for splitting them apart hadn't been sated in the first attack. When their master gave the word, they would fall on Team Rocket like a flood, to the point where they would barely need the other Pokémon.

Behind Espeon the rest of the Pokémon were killing time. In their trainers absence they couldn't train, not knowing when they might be needed. As a result, sat in the apartment that Ash had rented, they were killing time. Many of them chose to wait in their Pokéballs, leaving Espeon, Meganium, Charizard, Sceptile, Snorlax, Sharpedo and Alakazam together waiting. When it was time to move, they would release the rest of the Pokémon before having Alakazam teleport the team to the room where Espeon could feel Ash's mind. Without that help, they doubted that they would be able to teleport in accurately enough. Meganium came up next to Espeon, putting a vine around the neck of the Sun Pokémon. They all felt the pain that was emanating from Espeon, not least because they felt it themselves.

Meganium retracted the vine and turned back into the room, leaving Espeon to her solitude. When she reached Sharpedo, the Brutal Pokémon gestured for Meganium to follow him. After walking into a different room, Sharpedo turned to Meganium.

_"What is it with you all?" _Sharpedo asked. "_It's like there is something special for all of you about having Ash away from us. I don't understand."_

Meganium's eyes watered as she regarded her friend with a sad look. "_You weren't there the day that the rest of the_ _Pokémon left us. You can't understand."_

_"But what happened?"_ Sharpedo pressed. "_What was so bad?"_

_"Remember Sharpedo, Ash had left all his friends. He had left his only family, all he had was his Pokémon. One of those Pokémon was Pikachu, his first and the one that he had spent every minute of his life with since he was ten. All of those left him, led away by the one he thought he could trust above all the rest. Broken does not even begin to describe how he was. Espeon and I love him. Not in the way that you all do; you love him because as a trainer he has shown you nothing but kindness. Espeon and I would die for him in an instant. Before you say that you would do the same, would you? Without thinking at all? If he was in danger, can you honestly say you would jump straight in, not thinking about anything, just focused on dragging him out alive, even if it killed you? That is what I would do for him. He has saved my life, did you know that? He has also saved Charizards and Sceptiles lives. Let alone what he did for Espeon, I don't even know her story. He had done it for many of his former Pokémon, only for them to leave him. That kind of pain cannot be put into words. On that day, I saw the human I love above all others broken by somebody he thought he could trust. On that day, those of us left made a promise. We would protect our trainer to the death, keep him as sheltered as we could. He was young, and had been through so much, it wasn't fair for anything else to happen to him. That is why we are so subdued. He is being effectively tortured, and we are forced to sit here and do nothing." _

Meganium spat the last word, which shocked Sharpedo. The Brutal Pokémon had known Meganium for years, and she had never shown this, more ruthless side to her nature. As he processed what he had been told, Meganium turned and started to leave the room.

_"Meganium" _he called after her. She turned back, a sad smile on her face. "_I'm sorry. I didn't know…"_

_"I know" _ the Herb Pokémon said. "_You couldn't. And you still can't understand. You weren't there."_

And she left the room, using her vine to shut the door behind her, leaving Sharpedo to reflect on what he had just heard.

* * *

Ash Ketchum was a patient man. Years of solitude had given him that; he never needed to rush for something. When he thought back to how he had been when he was younger, he was embarrassed at how he ran around everywhere. His impulsive nature had rescinded as the years went by, making him far more reserved. When he was young, Ash had felt that by rushing everywhere, he could get more done. He now knew that there was a time to rush things, and a time for patience. Currently, he was in need of every ounce of patience that he possessed. Every time Giovanni called him, Ash remained impassive, not baiting the Rocket leader, but trying to make him feel secure enough to come and gloat in person. He had to act like the captivity was taking its toll. He had already worked out that Giovanni was scared of him, and for that reason, his patience was being tested. His plan relied on Giovanni coming to see his captive, and thus far, that wasn't working. His opponent was very suspicious. Espeon talked to him fairly regularly, but they were short conversations. Otherwise, he had little to do but think. It was no surprise that his patience was being tested to the extent that it was.

After the last communication with Espeon, Ash felt mildly guilty. The Sun Pokémon was struggling, her loyalty being tested to the fullest. Ash knew that his Pokémon hated leaving him alone, and in the hands of Team Rocket would be almost unbearable for them. Espeon's loyalty fell back to the first time he met the Pokémon, when she was still an Eevee. Unbidden the memory started to rise, and Ash let it, thinking that there was little else to do, and a distraction would help.

_Flashback_

Three months after he had left home, Ash stood watching his Pokémon rest after their training session. Pikachu had returned to his place by his master's side. Their training had started a couple of weeks earlier, after Ash's Pokémon from around the regions had reached him. Charizard had been the last one to return, after him Ash was sure that there would be no more. He had started training the next day, beginning with a run that left him and his Pokémon utterly exhausted. The area that had found to train in was secluded, a valley with an easily to climb cliff at one end of it. The cliff was where Ash was able to watch his Pokémon from whilst they trained, and where he stood now. He had just finished preparing food, which, whilst he acknowledged wouldn't taste as good as what Brock could make, after a day's hard training, it seemed to suffice for his Pokémon. Looking over the valley, Ash saw something in the distance. He looked down at Pikachu.

"Looks like smoke Pikachu. Wonder what it is." The electric mouse looked up at his trainer, guessing what was coming next. "I'm gonna go take a look. "

"Pika? Pika, Pikachu?"

Ash chuckled, scratching his Pokémon behind the ears. "Nah, don't worry Pikachu. Eat your dinner, you've earned it today."

Scrambling down the cliff again, Ash strode out into his Pokémon, all of them looking up from their food to track him. Ash reached his bag, and picked it up, before turning to face his Pokémon, Pikachu leaping off his shoulder and heading to his own bowl of food, waving as his trainer headed off.

"Guys, I'm going out to check something. Some smoke in the distance. I wanna know what's causing it. Keep eating, I'll be back soonish."

Shouldering his bag, Ash turned and started to jog in the direction of the smoke. It turned out that the smoke was further away than Ash had realized. It was after nearly an hour where a tired Ash climbed up a hill, to see a man in front of a forest. There was a Charmeleon stood there, using a Flamethrower on the trees. In front of him were the burnt out husks of several trees, with Charmeleon setting fire to another. The trainer was glaring up at something in the uppermost branches of the tree. He was so focusing so intently on what he was doing that he didn't notice Ash creeping up behind him.

"Stupid Pokémon, thinks it can do that to me…" the man muttered. Following the man's gaze, Ash saw a small brown thing in the tree, and hearing what the man said, it clicked what must be happening. Quickly shrugging his backpack off, Ash raised it before smashing it across the back of the man's head, causing him to pitch forwards with a grunt. Distracted, Charmeleon stopped attacking the tree, and turned to see a teenager charging at him. Ash smashed into the Pokémon, knocking it off of its feet, as it was unprepared for being attacked by a human. Before Charmeleon could recover, Ash had punched him multiple times, before he was dragged off by the trainer, and thrown to the ground.

"Who do fucking you think you are, you little shit?" The man growled, standing over Ash. "Nobody fucking jumps me like that."

Ash's eyes widened as he saw a the man reach into a pocket and pull out a knife. A feral instinct took over, and he lashed out, his knee driving firmly up into the man's groin. The man's eyes widened in pain, and he dropped the knife, falling to the ground in agony. Ash scrambled to his feet, and turned to see Charmeleon diving at him. Luck caused the Flame Pokémon to miss first time, as it had aimed for Ash before he scrambled up. As it turned and fired a Flamethrower attack at his opponent, Ash dropped to the ground, and felt for the Pokéball belt of the trainer he had incapacitated. Not feeling it at his waist, Ash desperately cast his eyes around as Charmeleon stalked closer, unable to use fire attacks due to Ash's proximity to his trainer. Ash suddenly spotted the Pokéball belt lying next to a bag some five meters away. Realizing that he would never make it, Ash started looking around. His eyes fell on the knife at his feet, and he picked it up before throwing it at Charmeleon. The throw was terrible, the blade not even pointing at Charmeleon, but it was enough. The Pokémon distracted for precious seconds, Ash got up and threw himself across to the Pokéball belt, pulling out a Pokéball and using it to recall Charmeleon. Slowly and painfully getting to his feet, Ash looked back up at the tree that was burning merrily at the bottom. In the upper branches was an Eevee, looking absolutely terrified. Ash called for Eevee to jump down to him, but the Evolution Pokémon was too terrified to move. Looking around, Ash realized that the trees around this one had been burnt down, as if Eevee had jumped from tree to tree as each one was burned down. Glaring back at the man who was still immobile on the ground, Ash looked at the tree once again.

There was a fire burning about halfway up, extending no more than a meter up the tree. It was clear that Charmeleon's attempts to burn the tree down had been interrupted before they could get too far. Gritting his teeth at what he was about to do, Ash ran at the tree and started climbing. From above Eevee was watching his progress in disbelief. As Ash reached the fire, he kept going, straight through it, coming out the other side. As he started to move through the flames, Eevee started to move down towards him, climbing into the arms that were held out to her. As soon as he had the Pokémon in his arms, Ash leaped out of the tree, landing on the ground four meters below. As he hit the ground, his legs gave way, allowing the Eevee to spill out of his arms onto the ground. Ash lay in the dirt, with some of his clothes burning from his climb through the fire. Eevee started kicking sand at him, which put out the flames. As the adrenalin wore off, he felt the burns on his skin, groaning in the pain. Suddenly he was lifted off the ground once more, picked up by the throat. The man he had attacked was stood in front of him, a look of pure fury on his face.

"You started the wrong fucking fight, _pal" _the man growled, murder in his eyes. He reached for the knife he had recovered, holding up to Ash's face, placing the point in front of one of Ashs eyes. "I'm gonna blind you, and then leave you out here to suffer for as fucking long as fucking possible. Nobody fucking attacks me like that, do you ARRGGHH"

As the man screamed in pain, he dropped Ash, who tried to move away but felt very, very tired. The man had collapsed, clutching his groin again, with Eevee stood in front of him, looking fierce. As Ash slowly climbed to his feet, he realized that Eevee had seen what he had done to the man first time, and given him a repeat performance. Moving over to the man, Ash kicked him one last time for good measure, before limping away. He never asked what Eevee had done to invoke such rage, and he was never told. However, from that one event, Eevee felt closeness to the trainer that she had never felt before. So when he limped over the hill, Eevee didn't even think before heading after him, following him back to his camp, where she was captured in a Pokéball, before joining Ash's team. The loyalty she felt from that event had been more than enough to stop her leaving when Ash gave her the option. She had no reason to leave the trainer that had saved her life, and she had never regretted the decision to follow him.

_End flashback_

As the memory started to fade, Ash smiled to himself, particularly as he felt the presence of Espeon at the back of his mind. She had been remembering the same thing. The strength he drew from both the mental bond and the loyalty of his Pokémon was more than enough to keep him carrying on, so that the worst abusers of Pokémon, Team Rocket could be finally broken.

* * *

As Espeon withdrew from her trainers mind, she thought about the secret she had held since that day. Ash had never asked why she had been stuck in that tree; he had merely thrown himself into first saving her life, and then integrating her into his family of Pokémon. She had become stronger than she ever imagined she could, but she still feared losing the first human to ever show her kindness. The man that had attacked her had been her previous trainer. She had been captured by a poacher weeks earlier, before being sold to the Eric, the man that had abused her. She had stayed with him for nearly a month, before she finally rebelled, in a raid. Eric had been a member of Team Rocket, and had tried to use her to subdue an opponent whilst he was robbing a shop. Her rebellion had caused him to have to recall her, and his Charmeleon had burnt down the entire shop, leaving nothing of use inside it. In a fury, Eric had taken her out into the woods near the town. He released her, and ordered Charmeleon to attack, but she had been too quick. Darting into the forest, she had climbed up a tree. However, she had been seen, and chased through the forest, until there were no trees left to hide in. Eric had burned all the trees around her, and then Charmeleon had trapped her, setting fire to the wood below her. Until Ash saved her. She had never told Ash or any of his Pokémon the abuse she had been subjected to when she was Eric's Pokémon, when beatings and starvation were the least of her troubles when she had been with him.

Reflecting on her trainer, Espeon thought about the years since she had met him. In all the time she had known him, she had never known Ash to show anything but kindness towards Pokémon. And she had never known Ash to show anything to humans. It was when she spent time thinking about him that Espeon realized what Ash had given up in his training. She struggled to be sad for him; she loved her trainer exactly as he was. She knew that if her, or any other Pokémon, were in trouble Ash would stop at nothing to save them. He had come a long way from that boy climbing through flames to save a Pokémon he had never met, but the core of him was the same. He was still the most caring being she had ever met. As she looked out of the window, Espeon felt a trickle of a tear run down her face. All she wanted was to be able to curl up next to Ash, her trainer, her master and her friend. And all she could do was wait, while he suffered in a building that she could watch. She just hoped he knew what it cost her to let it happen.

* * *

Cynthia stood on the platform in the main training room of the Indigo training area. Behind her stood Gym leaders from all four regions, whilst at the back of the room were trainers that they had brought with them to help with what they were all doing. With them were the Elite Four from each of the regions. Next to Cynthia stood the Champions of the four Regions. Lance representing Kanto and Johto, Steven from Hoenn. There was no representative from Sinnoh, because Cynthia had never been defeated as the Sinnoh Champion. Technically she was still in place. At the back were the specialists from the camp, along with other trainers that they had asked to be there. All they had been told was that there was a situation that required the presence of powerful trainers, the more the better. It was in effect a call to arms, something that hadn't been seen for a long time. In front of her were the thirty trainers who had been at the training camp. All in all, the concentration of trainer strength in the room was staggering; they were some of the toughest trainers in the world. The last week had been absolute hell for her, with the camp still running whilst she was still trying to organize her response to the capture of the Pokémon Master. Now she was ready.

"Good morning. What you all hear here is completely confidential. Virtually nobody outside of this room knows what I'm about to tell you. That should give you some idea as to the seriousness of this."

Cynthia paused to look around the room. Of all the people in there, only she, James and the other Champions knew the full story of what had happened. Explaining to them was going to be hard, but if Mewtwo was to be believed, she would need every single trainer in the room as well as the Legendary to stand a chance of breaking into the Rocket base.

"As you may know, four years ago Team Rocket stopped their activities. According to sources that have only recently given their information this because they had been attacked and almost destroyed. However, their leader had escaped and started to reform Team Rocket. Their leader is a man known as Giovanni, the ex-Viridian City Gym Leader. He vanished in the immediate aftermath of the attack on his organization. He was successful in reforming Team Rocket, and they are once again conducting their activities. This we have known for four weeks, since a group of Rockets were discovered in Violet City by Falkner."

Pausing again, Cynthia waited for the muttering from throughout the room to die down. The Gym Leaders had known that Team Rocket had resurfaced, but nobody else seemed to. Almost nobody else, Cynthia suddenly noted, with two of the trainers on her camp looking unsurprised. She glanced at Sam and Mellanie, wondering how they knew.

"'Champion' has taken an interest in shutting down Team Rocket once again." Cynthia continued. "He managed to discover the location of the Team Rocket headquarters, and nine days ago he left here to attack the base and try to bring down Giovanni. Since he left there has been no contact from either him or any of his Pokémon. Furthermore, the day after he left, a Pokémon came to visit. This Pokémon is one that is virtually unheard of. He has asked not to be named to any of you. However, he has revealed some information to me and the other regional champions. Until recently, he had been controlled by Team Rocket. He was part of a trap that was laid for 'Champion' when he reached the Rocket headquarters. In the aftermath this Pokémon managed to escape. He came here to talk to me and to reveal what happened."

Cynthia took a deep breath before revealing the blow that would shock the assembled trainers.

"This Pokémon told me that 'Champion' had been captured by Team Rocket."

There was instant uproar. Even the Gym Leaders behind Cynthia were talking now, and there many of the assembled trainers below the platform started shouting up at Cynthia.

"How do you know it's telling the truth?"

"The Pokémon Master would never be captured by a group like Team Rocket!"

"Lies! They could never!"

"You can't just trust any Pokémon that shows up at just shows up and…"

"ENOUGH." Cynthia blinked and turned to where Lance had stepped forward. He had a look of fury on his face as he addressed the assembled trainers. "Do you honestly think that Cynthia has been _duped?_ That this Pokémon has been _lying _to her? Do you take her for such a fool?" Lance gave the assembled trainers one last glare before turning back to Cynthia. "My apologies Cynthia. Please, continue with your briefing."

Smiling to herself, Cynthia turned back to the trainers. Clearly Lance still had problems with his temper. It was something that she suspected would never change about her colleague. He had certainly questioned Mewtwo about the event very closely when the two met. Between them the three regional champions had developed plan of action for the rescue, with Mewtwo and James contributing substantially.

"As I was saying, 'Champion' has been captured. I have asked you all here for one purpose. I intend to finish what 'Champion' started. We will go to the Team Rocket headquarters and we shall attack it. This is something that the other regional Champions have agreed with. All of you have been asked here to join in. I will not force anybody to join in this endeavor, but if we succeed I believe we will be able to both remove Team Rocket and rescue the Pokémon Master. We will be moving to the location of the Team Rocket base overnight. You have the rest of the day to decide. There will be a briefing later to highlight the strategy."

With that, Cynthia turned and left the platform, Lance and Steven close behind her.

**A/N**

**As always, thank you to those of you who have read, and the increasing number who are reviewing. I appreciate both. I'm not surprised many of you guessed that Mewtwo was the asset that Team Rocket had. There wasn't much else it could really be. Mewtwo will feature beyond this particular episode, and there will be a few other legendaries as well making smaller appearances. **

**Anyway, to answer a few points made in those reviews I have thanked you for...**

**Darkrai6543: You are both correct and incorrect. At the end of _Mewtwo Strikes Back_, Mewtwo does indeed erase all the memories of everybody who was there. In that respect, Ash shouldn't know who Mewtwo is. However, I don't know if you have seen the special episode _Mewtwo Returns._ In that one, Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, James and Meowth all meet Mewtwo once again and he does not erase their memories. So, Ash would know Mewtwo. It is a valid point though.**

**The Shuiro Amaya: The format is something I started doing when I got annoyed at having massively broken up paragraphs. I know its wrong, but its something I just started doing. I'll try to break the habit, it should make it easier to follow.**

**Thorndsword: You are indeed correct, Ash can very easily simply fire Cynthia. He might be sufficiently grateful from getting rescued to forgive her though?**

**Noshadowone: Another very good point. Delia is indeed missing Ash, although she has barely featured in the story thus far. Remember though, he has effectively become a completely independent person. It does happen that some people simply leave home and never go back. **

**MysteryOfOrigin: Ash, arrogant? Aloof and independent is a better way of putting it. I always object to people calling somebody else arrogant when they refuse help simply because they don't need it. I perceive arrogance as the belief that you are better without reason. If you are actually better, your not necessarily being arrogant, you're simply truthful. That is just me though, I know that to most people he probably is arrogant.**

**WarmasterSamiel: Somebody setting up a fan club is very easy to imagine, but can you honestly see Ash enjoying it?**

**Bloodshark: No. There will be Mega Evolutions.**

**Egg Emperor: I meant to answer this one earlier, but forgot... "What benefit is it to a man if he gaineth the world, but loseth his own soul?" Very deep, but an interesting analysis. Ash has lost his human friends yes, but he still has his Pokémon. That might be enough for him.**

**With the various regional champions, there is a single reason why they haven't been put in yet. With Ash being called Champion, having other characters with the same title would get very, very confusing. However, I feel I should clarify some things. In the Pokémon League, each region has eight Gym Leaders, an elite four and a Champion (Lance being Champion for both Johto and Kanto who also have the same elite four). The direct superior of the regional Champions is the Pokémon Master; Ash. Think of it as a simple hierarchy; Pokémon Master on top, then the regional champions, their elite fours and their Gym Leaders. Under normal circumstances the regional champions would be responsible for the Gym Leaders, but the Pokémon Master is within his rights to intervene as well. Hope this answers any questions you might have had.**

**As always, please keep reading and shouting your thoughts loud and clear. Well... writing them clearly... you get the idea. Till next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N **

**Just a warning, there is a scene between Ash and a Team Rocket member known as Agent where Ash is effectively tortured. I'll be blunt, Agent is a psychopath. The bit should be fairly obvious when you read it, so if you don't want to, please don't read that bit! Just covering my bases so nobody shouts at the lack of warning.**

* * *

_"When we reach the city, we must move quickly. You have too many people to remain hidden for long."_ Mewtwo said, addressing Lance, Cynthia, and Steven. _"Giovanni will attempt to flee if he feels that he cannot win the fight. If he escapes, you may not have another opportunity like this for years."_

"Don't worry his capture is our greatest priority." Cynthia assured the Pokémon. "In fact, Steven has offered to lead a team to head for him."

"Indeed" the Hoenn Champion said. "I will take my elites into the heart of Team Rocket, and apprehend this criminal."

"I still think it should be me leading that team" Lance grumbled. "I have experience in facing off against criminal organizations, particularly ones that use legendaries."

Cynthia sighed. "Lance, you know as well as I do that as the authority figure for over half our forces, you can do nothing but lead the main group. When we reach Goldenrod City, I will lead a team to look for 'Champion', Steven will aim to apprehend Giovanni and you will have command of the rest of the trainers. You will get to fight, have no fear."

"_And besides, you will be able to fight alongside me"_ Mewtwo said. _"How many people can say that they fought alongside a legendary Pokémon?"_

Lance simply glared back. "I've fought _against_ legendaries. Makes a far better story. Ask Kyogre if you see him." Under the fierce gaze of the other two champions, as well as Mewtwo's impassive stare, Lance relented. "Alright, fine. When are we doing the briefings?"

"Steven and I can do them on the train easily as we will only be bringing a few men each. You on the other hand will be addressing the large body of trainers. You might have to do the briefing many times with many trainers."

Lance groaned. That was his idea of hell. Now that a plan had been decided, he wanted to proceed as quickly as possible. He did not want to have to brief two hundred trainers on each step of the plan. It was at this point where Steven spoke up.

"I think to prevent our colleague from killing himself before Team Rocket has a chance to attempt it, an alternative might be wise." Steven said with a smile. "Lance, split your trainers down to a simple military command. One man can command thousands if he has the right command structure. You have four elites, each of whom can lead a group of trainers. You have sixteen gym leaders, each of whom has between five and ten trainers who will automatically look to them. The remainder of the trainers that you have to use can be distributed amongst the elites, or the specialists who you have. Then you only have to brief the team leaders, and on the battlefield you can move to where you are needed. It also saves you from endless briefings, and reduces the time that we have to delay in Goldenrod."

Lance, Cynthia and Mewtwo looked at Steven in surprise. They had no idea that he knew much about leading a group of trainers in a fight. As he registered the looks, he grinned weakly.

"Remember, I've been champion of Hoenn for longer than either of you two have been of your regions. This isn't my first fight."

Still shaking her head in surprise, Cynthia turned back to Lance.

"It does make sense. Who knows, we might actually learn how to lead a fight as well. Good experience."

Lance managed a weak grin. He was unused to being shown how to do anything. "Maybe."

"In fact, we have a lot to thank 'Champion' for." Steven mused. "Think about it, we have an automatic structure in place now. Each gym leader can be expected to fight, as they have been picked for their strength, whilst they each have trainers who have trained under them and so would look to them in a fight. Pull together all the gym leaders from four regions, and you have a very tough force to face. Team Rocket shouldn't be a problem to deal with."

"Quite." Cynthia said drily. "Remind me to thank him when this is all over."

Lance stood up suddenly. "I'm going to find my gym leaders and elites. We need to be ready to start as soon as we reach."

Walking out the door, Lance headed down the train. Every single trainer who had been at Cynthia's address has come with them, which did admittedly leave them with a transport problem. It wasn't easy to move a large number of trainers secretly across a region. It had been Lance that came up with the answer, which he put forward in his usual unhesitating way. For some time there had been a call for an expansion of the train network that ran in a few places across the regions. A few years ago, Lance had ordered the gym leaders in Johto to divert funds from their cities into building a network across the whole region. When it was finished, every city would be linked by trains, meaning that people could move across Johto very quickly and easily. Lance had forced the plans through in the face of a great deal of opposition, although it had meant that economically Johto was ahead of the other regions, since large public projects tended to create a great deal of employment. Whilst the whole network wasn't finished, and trains hadn't started to move for the public yet, cargo trains did move on the network. In fact, Goldenrod's size meant that a lot of the trains went through the city at some point. There had also been a fair few passenger trains moving workers around, usually late at night. This gave them the perfect cover. The whole force was in a passenger train, which extra carriages had been attached. As a result, they expected to be able to get into Goldenrod overnight, and then use the time to go to ground. At least, that was the plan. Whilst they had doubts that it would fool Team Rocket, it did at least get them all into Goldenrod in a way that could be hidden from the public.

Lance walked into the next carriages where all of the elites were sitting as they travelled. As the door to the carriage opened, they all looked up expectantly.

"My four, go and get the gym leaders for all regions, along with the specialists that Cynthia had at that camp of hers" Lance said, picking a seat and planting himself in it. "Sinnoh and Hoenn, your champions are waiting for you through there."

There was a flurry of movement as the various elites moved in the direction they were bade, with the Kanto/Johto four heading into the next two carriages where the gym leaders were with their trainees. Once they were all assembled, Lance stood up again, looking over the thirty-six trainers who he commanded.

"Right. Firstly, for those of you who don't know me, I'm Lance Waturu. That you probably do know. What you won't know is my personality. I like plain speakers. That means if you disagree, you say so bluntly. If you think I'm wrong, say so. I detest those who hide behind words. I like action, not words"

The elite four with him shared small smiles. They had all been on the wrong side of Lance's temper at some point, and whilst it could terrify somebody who wasn't used to it, they had started to find it quite amusing. The gym leaders on the other hand, looked somewhat scared. The man in front of them was famous. It had been believed that he could have been the Pokémon Master if he wanted, but he had never entered the World League. Stories were told in all regions about Lance, the Dragon Master. The first man in history to be Champion of two different regions. To say that they had worked with him was a prospect that they were all looking forwards to, but the idea of arguing with him was terrifying.

"Right. We are a few hours out from Goldenrod, where we will not have time for planning, so this is the only time you are going to get a briefing from me. When we strike, Cynthia and Steven will lead teams into the Rocket base to secure both the Pokémon Master and Giovanni. However, our intelligence suggests that inside the base there is space for some three thousand Rockets. Clearly that is too many for us to deal with, but apparently the usual number is closer to about eight or nine hundred. That leaves a lot of people between the two infiltration teams and their targets. This is where we come in. Our attack will be at night, so hopefully as few Rockets as possible will be ready for us. Despite this, we expect to have to fight heavily to break this base. But let me make something clear, we will capture this base."

From the back, Lorelei looked around the trainers listening. They were hanging on Lance's every word. She grinned, having already realized what Lance was going to suggest. In fact, if he hadn't, she would have considered suggesting it instead. The rest of the trainers though… they clearly hadn't worked out the very large role they were going to be playing in this fight. They were typical trainers, not thinking far enough ahead. But then a lot of trainers were like that. Only the strongest thought ahead. Next to her Karen flashed a grin. She had also evidently worked out where Lance was going.

"For the structure on the ground, clearly we have too many trainers for me to be in direct command of all of them. So a simple alternative will be used. Each of you will lead a squad of trainers. They will report to you, you will report to me. To keep it simple, the trainers that the Gym leaders will use will be the ones from their gyms. That gives us sixteen squads straight off. I will also attach one of the trainers who were at the training camp to each squad. They are all powerful trainers, amongst the strongest that Cynthia could find in Johto."

One of the Sinnoh Gym leaders sniggered, something that Lance did not fail to notice.

"And whatever your thoughts on that are, Curt, I suggest you keep them to yourself. They _are_ strong trainers, and they could for the most part crush you. Furthermore, in a situation like this, we are leading nearly two hundred trainers into a battle. Make no mistake, this is a fight where getting injured is a very real possibility. There is no room for foolishness and unnecessary bravado. I will have no hesitation to take you off this mission if I think you are too immature."

The venom in Lance's voice was palatable now, oozing out. Bruno looked at Lorelei before grinning. It was just like their Champion to put somebody on the spotlight like this and then completely embarrass him. The poor man was terrified, but Lance was simply using him to prove a point.

"As I was saying, each of you will have an additional trainer attached to your squads. Each of the four elites will have a squad made up from trainers that we asked to join the mission. They will form reserves, able to step in and help if you get into a big fight. Each of the specialists…" at this Lance turned towards them. "Will also lead a squad, made up from the remaining trainers that we have. It should average out to be roughly seven trainers per squad. Any questions so far?"

There was silence amongst the assembled trainers now. They hadn't expected such an intense briefing, or the decisions to be stated so bluntly. Clearly a lot of thought had gone into this arrangement on the behalf of the Regional Champions as to how to bring about the highest chance of success.

"When we reach the Rocket base, you will split up. Each of the Elite four will act as a reserve for four gym leader squad, and one specialist squad. The remaining two squads will be under my direct command. One of the four groups will secure the floors above ground whilst the remaining groups will head below the ground. Once there we will simply move as quickly as possible. According to our intelligence there is only a lift down, and then stairs. When we reach the stairs to the next floor a single squad will be left behind to secure that floor, and the rest of the force will move on. Now, I feel that you should go and brief your squads on what will happen, because we will be striking as soon as possible when we reach Goldenrod. And before you leave…" all the Gym leaders standing up looked back at Lance. "If any one person fucks this when it is avoidable, you will regret it."

The Gym leaders looked at each other, a new-found fear in their eyes. From anybody else such a threat might not have meant much, but backed up by Lance's palatable authority, the threat was very real. They suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to not call his bluff.

* * *

Ash jerked awake. In front of him was a Rocket that he recognized. It was the man that had put him in the cell originally. The man stood staring at him, as if he was looking for something. He acted completely unaware of the gaze of the Pokémon Master. After a couple of minutes, the man stepped back.

"'Champion'. I feel I should introduce myself. I am the man who set the trap that caught you."

Ash just looked at him, emotionless through the taunting.

"I am known by the majority of Team Rocket as simply, 'Agent'" the man continued. "My name is just as hard to unearth as yours is. So why don't we make a trade? You give me your name, and I'll give you mine?"

Ash looked at him, finally deciding to speak. "I know you won't give me yours, and my name is all I have left. You've taken the rest."

Agent laughed loudly. "All you have left? I beg to differ. You have a great deal you can offer to us. Having the Pokémon Master on our payroll would be a huge boon."

"No" was Ash's simple response.

"No? I don't think you'll find you get a choice. When the boss talks to you it will be very much an offer you can't refuse. Not if you know what's good for you."

"The boss?" Ash said, fear laced in his voice. "Giovanni is coming?"

"Now what I don't understand" Agent said, not bothering to answer the question. "Is why you fear the boss over me. Yes he has control over that lovely little machine behind you, control he has used with admirable lack of restraint, but what he doesn't have is a mind like mine. He is ultimately a leader, whilst I… I am more the kind of person you don't really want to know, unless something has to be done. And I get things done. Your capture proves that. The only question is whether it is done the boring way, or the much more entertaining way. Entertaining for me at least."

Ash looked at his tormentor, a new fear in his features. The man's tone left little to doubt. He really did enjoy inflicting pain on those that he faced. Agent stepped in closer to stare into Ash's face. A small smile of satisfaction was all that Ash could see from the man in front of him before he turned away. At the edge of the cell, before he shut the door behind him, Agent turned back one last time.

"The boss will see you when he feels you have discovered that anything but obedience is unwise. The task of bringing about that lovely state of affairs is mine. I'm sure it won't take long; you seem to be most of the way there. But please, resist all you like. I need something to entertain me."

And the man was gone, leaving Ash to consider what he had heard. In the dark cell, Ash, unseen by anybody or anything smiled tightly. It was the first emotion to cross his face since his capture. He had made progress. Since the man set to breaking him thought he had nearly succeeded, only token resistance would be necessary to convince him.

* * *

Misty stood at the train window. It was fair to say that Misty wasn't easily intimidated, but at the moment she was terrified. She feared she was going to ruin the whole thing by a stupid mistake. Behind her was the team that she was to lead in the attack on the Rocket base. Daisy had taken the Cerulean trainers, leaving Misty with trainers that had been assigned to her by Lance. They were good, she knew that. Whilst she was almost certainly the strongest, some of them were powerful enough to give her a good match. If they had time for that. Which, Misty reflected, they probably wouldn't.

The train had come to a halt in Goldenrod nearly half an hour before, but the majority of the squads had been told to wait before getting off. Misty's squad was due to head into the city in a few minutes. They had a room half a dozen blocks away from the Rocket HQ, and Misty had come up with a simple way of getting there without being discovered. A Monday night wasn't perhaps the most common night for people to be out in the city, but Misty knew that given her squad were all in their early twenties, they could pull it off. She hoped.

Gesturing to the squad to follow, Misty headed to the end of the train compartment. A quick glance told her that they were all there, and she opened the door leading off the train. Knowing that this was the hardest part, Misty strolled away, heading straight for the shadow at the end of the platform. Once there, she found a door in the wall casting the shadow, and tried the handle. As expected, it was locked. Quickly releasing Golduck, Misty let him knock the lock out. The door swung open and she stepped inside. Within seconds her squad came through, having not left the train until the door was opened. Glancing around once more to make certain that they were all there, Misty smiled to herself. That was the easy part.

Exiting through the building on the other side, Misty slung her arms around one of the guys in the group. Walking with a slightly drunken swaying, she did her best to convey the image of heading home after a good time. As they reached the end of the street they turned, moving along. On the fourth street, another squad member jokily pushed the one that Misty had her arm around. As they came together Misty heard a quiet mutter.

"Roof top, behind us, four buildings back."

As the two broke apart once again, a small Pokémon slipped away from the group. Reaching the side of the street, the Caterpie started to quickly climb. As it reached the top, Caterpie saw a flash of color in the darkness, but by the time the Worm Pokémon reached the spot, there was nothing. Hurrying back down to street level, Caterpie returned to its trainer, as two of the guys in the group were loudly arguing as to which way to go. Noting Caterpie's return, Misty stepped forward again.

"It's left! How much did you have again?"

With a grumble from the man she had shot down, Misty led the group down the designated street. It was going to take a while for them to get where they were going at this rate.

When they finally reached the safe room, they were all exhausted. What had meant to be a simple fifteen minute walk had taken them nearly forty-five. Misty was convinced that somebody had been following them, but always staying out of sight. As required, she put a call in to Lance.

"Made it."

"Well done Misty." Lance replied. "Any problems?"

"We didn't see anybody…" Misty said hesitatingly. "But it felt like we were being followed. We kept seeing hints."

Lances tone was thoughtful. "I thought as much. Every group has had the same problem. But I don't think its Rockets; such skilled observation is unlike them. If they knew where we all were like this, I would have expected an attack by now. Anyway" Lance continued, his voice regaining its decisiveness. "If you feel secure, you'll carry on into the next stage. Good luck."

And the phone went dead. The next time Misty would hear his voice would be at the Rocket HQ. Till then the youngest sensational sister was alone. And Misty felt the full weight of the responsibility.

* * *

Lance turned to look at the other champions. They were in the Pokémon Leagues office in Goldenrod, coordinating the whole operation. All three of them were exhausted and they still had a day to go before the actual attack. Steven was poring over what they knew about the building, whilst Cynthia was on a sofa trying to stay awake. At the back of the room, Mewtwo stood. The Pokémon was almost completely silent, yet his presence outweighed even that of Lance. The Dragon Master gestured for Mewtwo to join them, and the Psychic type floated across the room.

"That's another one." Lance said. "That's twelve groups from twelve. Somebody or something is loose in the city tonight."

Cynthia yawned. "Lance, if there is, what can we do about it? If Team Rocket knows we are coming, what can _they_ do about it? A trap for two hundred of the world's most powerful trainers? You would have to be brave to even consider that. The worst case is that we lose Giovanni. I don't believe that it will be possible to move 'Champion' without alerting us."

Steven nodded his agreement. "Don't worry about it Lance. There is nothing we can do about it."

"_The presence doesn't feel like Rockets"_ Mewtwo mused. "_It seems far smaller than that. I can't do more from here though, but I believe that there is no need to worry about this."_

Lance nodded his head in tired agreement. He couldn't think of a way that it could affect the mission. If Team Rocket knew that they were coming, they would be able to do very little to stop them. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind, and he stopped halfway through turning away again, before swinging back. "Mewtwo."

"_Yes."_

"What happened to 'Champions' Pokémon?"

Cynthia gasped, suddenly alert. It was what she had completely forgotten to ask. Fourteen of the most powerful Pokémon in the world were loose. Steven looked up from his papers again, surprise etched on his features, while even Mewtwo managed to look somewhat surprised.

"_I have no idea."_ The legendary said. "_When he was captured there was a Psychic attack fighting my own, however it suddenly vanished and I didn't actually see or feel any of his_ _Pokémon. I assumed that they had returned to his home."_

"So they definitely weren't captured?" Lance pressed. "Because if they were, mightn't they be used against us? With their trainer as the leverage that keeps them obeying?"

Cynthia was suddenly a lot more scared. Having the Pokémon loose was one thing, but having them against her. She remembered the last time she had gone up against one of her successors Pokémon. His Charizard had destroyed her team completely. To face all of them would be virtually impossible.

"Even if they do, surely with two hundred of us, they can't beat us all?" Steven said, although the doubt was clear in his voice.

"I don't know." Cynthia said. "I don't know how powerful they are."

"Mewtwo" Lance said, cutting across Cynthia once more as his voice hardened. "How many of the Pokémon that we have with us could you face alone?"

"_I don't know. A lot, although I can be overwhelmed. If I was facing them one at a time probably all of them, but defending myself from that number of attacks and hitting back is very difficult, attacks will get through if I am rushed."_

"So if each of 'Champions' Pokémon are half the strength of Mewtwo, and they have been captured, we are sunk immediately. We can't beat them and the Rockets."

"I can't believe that they would be captured." Cynthia said, massaging her temples. "I mean, they are amongst the most powerful Pokémon I have ever even heard of. I can't believe that Team Rocket could get their hands on them."

"We won't know till tomorrow." Steven said resignedly. "No point worrying about it now…"

* * *

The small Pokémon ran up to the darkened figure that was stood looking out across the city. The figure knelt next to the Pokémon and listened. Once the Pokémon had finished its report, it turned and darted away again. The figure pulled out a piece of paper and put a mark on it. Folding up the paper once again, the figure turned back towards the city.

"Another location. How many more will there be…"

Looking out over the city, the figure failed to see another darkened figure step out. As the second figure advanced to the first, still unnoticed, another Pokémon came running up. Moving quickly, the attacker charged at the watcher, before being knocked over by the Pokémon. As the Rattata before him growled its anger, and was quickly backed up by more Normal types from the area, the attacker admitted defeat, heading back down the building. The watcher had seen the whole thing and appeared to be somewhat amused as the other Normal types vanished back into the shadows.

"Rattata, you gave the poor man a shock. I suspect he won't bother us again. Anyway, I think we are done for the night. This is one thing I don't want to end up in the middle of."

With that, the figure strolled away from the edge of the building, still tailed by the Rattata.

* * *

Sharpedo was stood behind Espeon. Ever since his conversation with Meganium, the Brutal Pokémon was confused as to how to deal with what he had heard. Ever since he had joined Ash, life had been simple. He had trained to become as powerful as possible. He saw the Pokémon that he trained with, and opponents. Strong opponents had become rarer and rarer as time went on, as he became stronger. Problems were simple, and Sharpedo found that given how well he knew the other Pokémon that were with him, problems never came up with them. Their years of solitude were simple times, a paradise that he had lived in. He had thought that everybody had shared in it, their little utopia. His trainer always looked happy with his Pokémon. Ash never looked sad. Whenever he saw his trainer with other humans, Sharpedo found the discussions short, and efficient. Ash always left looking happy. Whenever Sharpedo saw the other Pokémon they all looked happy. He had found them easy to get on with when he first arrived, welcoming. They were his family. His conversation with Meganium threw that belief into doubt. What is his trainer wasn't happy? Sharpedo had thought that Ash had gained as much from their time together as the Pokémon had. Meganium felt different. What if she was right?

Espeon knew that Sharpedo was behind her. Meganium had told her what had happened between them, and so she knew it was only a matter of time until the Brutal Pokémon came to her. She was the one closest to Ash; she knew exactly what he felt. This day had been one that she had been dreading for some time. As Ash's closest partner, Espeon had seen him turn from the impulsive teenager who had thrown himself into fire to save a Pokémon he had never met into the reserved man who barely ever spoke to other humans. The man who all he had was his Pokémon. Deciding that Sharpedo had been there long enough, Espeon turned her head, gesturing for him to join her at the window.

"_Meganium spoke to you about Ash."_ Espeon said. It wasn't a question, more a statement, but Sharpedo nodded anyway. "_About what he's been through. What he's done for all of us." _More nods. "_And now you're here. So ask Sharpedo. I'll tell you what I can."_

"_Meganium said how he saved all of your lives. Like it meant something more than I thought. He saved mine as well, and I'd do anything for him. So what's different?" _Sharpedo asked. "_What is different for you?"_

_"The day of Departure. Meganium was right when she said that you had to be there to know. But on that day Ash changed. Up to that point in his life, if you were in trouble, he would help you. No matter the cost to himself, he would do anything. Throughout his life he had gained friends, admirers, but that isn't why he did it. He did it because that was what he was. On that day, he realized that if wanted to realize his dream, something had to change. And it did. If he sees somebody in trouble, he will still dive in and help them. And as soon as they are safe, he will leave again. It started as him not wanting to get put in a position where he can be hurt. And then it became habit. Now it is what he is. He doesn't want to be hurt."_

_"So it's different because you all saw him get hurt?"_

_"No. Just its part of it. We all saw what betrayal did to him. He was fifteen, impressionable. It has left him scarred. You haven't spent much time with other humans; you don't know what it is like for them. They spend time socializing. Seven years away from them, and Ash has no idea about that anymore. Small talk is something he doesn't do. We saw it happen. He hasn't always been impersonal."_

_"He's not"_

_"Not to us. We are all he has. But Meganium told you this. What do you want to know?"_

_"What is it he has given up? I always thought that he had benefitted as much as us, the greatest trainer ever. I don't understand how he might not have."_

Espeon's face remained utterly emotionless. "_That is simple. Ash is now the greatest ever, his dream. Yet the simple sight of Pikachu was enough to shock him to his core, to make him realize that no matter how he tries to hide it, he will always be stuck in the past. Ash lost his friends, his family, everything. Before I met him I never had a family. He gave me everything he lost."_

Sharpedo moved away slightly. The raw passion coming from Espeon was overwhelming.

"_Why did he never go back?"_ The Brutal Pokémon asked.

"_He couldn't. If those that left did, he would have to face them again. And he couldn't."_

Sharpedo nodded slightly. Whilst he didn't really understand humans, he was getting some ideas as to the reasoning of Espeon and the others. Moving slowly away, he was surprised when Espeon called out to him.

"_You must understand Sharpedo, he has no regrets. We got more than he ever did, but he wouldn't change a thing. He is happy; just he will always be haunted by his past. That is why we are so loyal. Because another loss like that would break him."_

* * *

"So, 'Champion' are you ready to start?"

In front of Ash was the Rocket Agent. He had brought a covered trolley into the cell, which Ash did not want to know held. The guards outside had been dismissed. Ash knew that this was the chance he needed. If he could persuade the man in front of him that he was no longer a danger to Team Rocket, and even that he might have broken so he would work for them, he would get his shot at Giovanni.

"Let's get you down from there shall we? Doesn't seem to be the right place for such an esteemed guest to be. Though first, I feel I should garb you in something more appropriate." Agent said, smiling to himself. He went to the trolley, and picked up two objects. Turning back to Ash, he proceeded to place one of the boots on each of the Pokémon Masters feet. "These are a little stronger than you're used to I'm afraid. Sufficiently strong to disable you permanently. It would be such a tragedy if you could never walk again."

Ash remained silent, knowing that what he was about to endure would be the hard. Suddenly he fell from the wall, the manacles having snapped open. Landing on the floor, Ash forced himself to take the fall, not breaking it and not rolling with it. Slowly, painfully, he climbed to his feet, leaving Agent looking at him curiously.

"I expected you to be more entertaining, 'Champion'. Please don't break. I haven't had a proper challenge for a while." The torturer turned back to his trolley, and pulled out a helmet. "Normally I would use images from the victims own life, but for you we know that's not really possible is it?" The helmet went over Ashs head, revealing a screen on the inside. "Unless you want to tell me who you are?" Ash remained silent. "I thought not. I guess we're doing this the hard way."

The screen that took up all of Ashs vision lit up. It was a video of a small village, with children running around. Suddenly the whole image started to burn, the children caught in the flames. Ash stiffened as he realized what the video was going to be like. The next one was a large stadium, filled with fans. A man in the center, a Charizard by him. The man raised a hand, and pointed straight into the crowd. The Charizard took to the sky, ripping into the fans in the stadium. The screams echoed around the helmet, with Ash visibly wincing and twisting to try to get away from it. As the camera moved away from the bloody stands, it turned back to the trainer in the center. Ash.

"That's right, 'Champion'" an eerily disembodied voice floated through the helmet. "This is what you could do. And the beauty is that it is something that you actually could do. You are the right, what's the word… Type."

_"No, I'm not" t_hought Ash. "_You have misjudged your man."_

As the image changed again, this time to a whole field of baby Pokémon, the man and his Charizard there once again, Ash shut his eyes. Immediately there was a shock through his head, enough to cause pain. The surprise of it stopped Ash blocking it, and for the first time since he was captured, the scream was real.

"Progress, wonderful, progress" came the voice again. "Perhaps I should have mentioned this before. Watching the videos is advisable."

Ash let out an audible groan, which merely drew a mocking laugh from his torturer. "Breaking you will be too easy."

The field was stained red, and Ash watched himself stride out into it, looking around, emotionless. Then the screen changed again, this time showing a Pokémon battle from the perspective of a trainer. In the field there was an Ursaring attacking a Chansey. The Chansey was bruised and battered, when the Ursaring's trainer called out for a Hammer Arm.

"Well go on 'Champion', fight." The voice floated through again. "Or is there a problem?"

Ash tried to say something but he couldn't. The helmet stopped him from being able to move his jaw enough to form words. The laugh floated through the helmets speakers once again.

"Tut, tut, tut, _tut. _The Pokémon Master, being defeated by a nobody. What people would say if they could see this, I do wonder…"

The fight ended with the Chansey lying on the floor, mortally wounded, the bloodied Ursaring standing victorious. And the scene changed again. A home, a family. A man walked in, and pulled out a knife, setting aside all traces of humanity and ripping the lifeblood from his own family. And another scene. And another. And another. Ash began to lose count, the images beginning to build up on his mind. Suddenly he felt something else in his mind. Not a big presence, just subtle, hidden at the back. Espeon had detected her trainer's distress, and was there, giving him the support he needed. Ash made a mental note to thank the Sun Pokémon, as he drew the strength he needed from the connection. Without it, he knew that the relentless onslaught would have taken its toll. And another scene appeared before his eyes.

Ash lost track of time when suddenly the screen went dark. The helmet was lifted off, and he found himself lying on the floor of his cell, the grinning face of his torturer above him.

"Well wasn't that _fun._ Don't worry, my friend, we have plenty else to play with. By the time I'm finished you'll be begging me to let you join Team Rocket if I'll just stop."

As he finished speaking he reached under the cover on the trolley once more, and pulled out something else. A knife. With an exceptionally fat handle and a wire from the handle to the top of the blade. Admiring it, Agent started to speak once again.

"Pain is so… _effective._ Yet blood is so…_messy._ This will stop you bleeding, but the pain will be just what we want." And with a smile, the torturer stepped forwards once again.

* * *

Lance was stood watching the Rocket building from a skyscraper opposite, a squad of trainers at his back. They didn't care about being spotted now; there was nothing that Team Rocket could do. As he watched, the first group of trainers appeared in the street below him. Flying Pokémon took trainers up to the upper floors. Pulling out a radio from his upper pocket, Lance spoke into it.

"Begin."

Within moments there were loud crashes. Windows were being smashed, and the trainers raced through the upper floors of the building. Raising the radio again, Lance started to give more orders.

"Move into the ground floor. Underground teams, you're now on standby. Get that lift ready."

Trainers moved into the ground floor. A few moments later, the radio crackled. "Lift secure. Moving below ground."

"Underground teams, move." Lance spoke into it one last time, and then released a Pokémon. Dragonite roared, and Lance swung a foot over his trademark Pokémons back. The Dragon Pokémon took off, flying straight down to the ground, where Lance swung off once again before recalling Dragonite. Behind him, the trainers in his squad had followed him. Striding into the Rocket building, Lance reached the lift. It was coming back up from below where two squads were already downstairs. As the lift doors opened, Lance strode in, and led his squad down into the heart of the Rocket building.

* * *

Espeon sprinted into a different room in the apartment. The other Pokémon turned to look at her in surprise.

"_Get the others out of their Pokéballs" _Espeon said. Alakazam crossed his spoons and the Pokéballs all suddenly opened. They followed Espeon back through to the window facing the Rocket building. As they watched, they saw a group of trainers hurry into the building. Shattered windows were evident from the upper floors.

"_What's going on?" _Rapidash asked.

"_Some kind of attack on the Rockets._" Espeon said. "_Ash will need us, so we are ready to help."_

"_And Giovanni?"_

_"I think this might have ruined that plan."_

* * *

Agent stood up. In front of him, Ash was curled up on the ground whimpering, with four long slashes across his torso from the knife in Agents hand. Each time the knife had cut, the blade had been electrified, cauterizing the wound as soon as it was made. There was no blood, but absolute agony for the man cut.

"So, do I need to do anymore, 'Champion'?" Agent said his voice little more than a taunt. "Or can I tell the boss that he has a new recruit to come and greet?"

Ash didn't say anything, but was clutching the injuries across his chest.

"Oh no, silence is not as golden as everybody thinks." Agent continued. "I really must insist on an answer."

"yes…" came a faint sound from the stricken Pokémon Master.

"Sorry? Please do speak up, I can't abide mishearing people."

"yes… I'll do it..."

"Really? And what will you do?" Agent said, squatting down next to his victim. "What will pacify me?"

"anything…" Ash groaned out. "I'll do… anything… just please stop…"

Agent stood up again, satisfied. "Well that wasn't too bad was it" he said, looking down at the prone figure. "In fact, I rather enjoyed that. You could do well here."

Agent pulled out a radio and spoke into it. "Sir, he has cracked… What?! … Yes sir. And our guest?... Understood sir."

Turning back to the Pokémon Master, Agent pulled out a small remote from his pocket, and pushed a button. The boots that were still on Ashs feet suddenly turned on. The electric shock caused Ash to scream in agony.

"It seems, my friend, that our party is being ended early." Agent said, speaking over the sound of his victims suffering. "A little situation has come up, and you're suddenly surplus to requirements. I do sincerely wish you luck, 'Champion'. You might even survive." And the man strode away, heading into the heart of Team Rocket's headquarters.

As soon as the sound of his feet faded, Ash's non-dead eye glowed an even brighter blue than normal. The boots flew off him, and he slowly got to his feet, a look of absolute fury on his face. Espeon's thoughts entwined with his, and within moments the room was filled with his Pokémon. Sceptile handed him clothes, and he quickly got changed, turning back into the Pokémon Master that was renowned. With his hat firmly on his head once again, Ash turned to his Pokémon.

"What's happened? What is going on up top?"

There were silent looks, until Espeon finally stepped forwards.

"_Cynthia." _She said quietly. "_She is attacking the Rocket base."_

Suddenly there was a loud noise. An alarm was going off. Ash looked at it furiously before it suddenly exploded. Espeon flicked her tail, as he looked at her.

"All of you, we are going straight for Giovanni. If we are fast, we might make it. Any Rockets you see… crush them."

Ash broke into a sprint, his Pokémon flowing around him. It was a four minute charge to Giovanni's office; with any luck they might catch the crime boss before everything was ruined.


	13. Chapter 13

As the helicopter lifted from the ground, the cloaking device turned on, making it impossible to follow. Giovanni sat facing Agent who looked at ease.

"A problem." Giovanni said tonelessly.

"Not so Sir." Agent replied. "We have lost the base, but the Pokémon Master is a wreck. He was broken when I left him. There are other bases we can use."

"Don't be a fool." Giovanni snapped. "If they could find that base they will soon target the other ones as well."

"Not if we get there first. Move the people out, and you still have a Team Rocket. Rebuilding will be far simpler."

"Do it" came the abrupt order. "Salvage what we can. We will get revenge."

As Agent got up and strode through to a different section of the helicopter, Giovanni looked back down at the receding Goldenrod City.

"How did you find us… Did Mewtwo lead you to us… that Pokémon wouldn't… he hates humans…"

Giovanni started typing furiously on a keyboard in front of him. Immediately a screen turned on in front of him, showing him the remaining camera feeds from the base. He was gambling that by the time the Pokémon League got into the network, he would be long gone. One camera feed drew his attention. It was a room from the ninth floor. There was a defensive ring around the stairs, but it wasn't Rockets. They were in a large group, with only a few Pokémon watching them. Giovanni was intrigued. What could there be down the stairs that would cause the Pokémon League trainers a worry… As he contemplated it, the feed suddenly went dead. Typing again, Giovanni tried to bring up a camera feed from elsewhere in the base. There were none. Whatever had hit them had taken out the feeds from the entire base. Giovanni sat back in surprise, unsure what had happened. He did suspect however, that this would not be the last he saw of the Pokémon League. As the thought crossed his mind, the last communication with his ex-base was sent, as Giovanni armed all the traps that had been put into his office in preparation for a day like this.

* * *

"Golduck, Hydro Pump" Misty called. Around her, Pokémon attacks were flying, as her squad drove back the Rockets. As the latest group of Rockets that she was facing started to recall their downed Pokémon whilst backing away from the advancing squad, Misty pulled out a radio, allowing herself to fall to the back of the squad, as Pikachu ran up ahead to fire another attack at the retreating Rockets.

"Lance, there is a large room up ahead, and a lot of Rockets there. The stairs to the next floor down are at the back"

"Understood. I'm having other squads converge there, they'll hit from the sides once you've attacked."

Misty gestured her squad forwards, pulling another two Pokéballs from her belt. She was saving Gyarados for later, whilst her Seaking was recovering from earlier exertions. As they reached the room, she threw out Starmie and Dewgong, As her squad released more Pokémon, the Rockets started throwing out their own Pokémon. Before any attacks could be called, another group of Rockets sprinted up the stairs, and started shouting.

"He's coming!" As they realized that Misty's squad was there, the leader of the Rockets ran towards her. Immediately her Pokémon moved in front of her, charging attacks. The rockets skidded to a halt, before holding their hands up. Golduck looked back at Misty in surprise whilst still charging his attack.

"Look, we'll surrender! Just protect us from him" The leader of the Rocket squad called to Misty who just looked at him in bemusement. As the Rocket took off his Pokéball belt and tossed it to the ground in front of him, Misty looked at Golduck and signaled for him to stand down. The Rocket turned to face the other grunts in the room.

"Guys, we haven't a chance against him. If we surrender we might actually survive this. The boss is gone, surrender."

The radio at Misty's waist crackled. "Accept it" came Lance's voice. "I'm on my way. Get them to lay their Pokéballs down and group on one side of the room."

"Understood" Misty said into the radio. As Misty's squad started to move among the Rockets, aided by the arrival of three more groups, Misty pulled the man who had encouraged the surrender to one side.

"What are you running from?" she asked the terrified man.

"The prisoner." Misty's eyes widened. "He has escaped. He just appeared, flanked by these Pokémon. Nothing we did even slowed them. He smashed straight through to the boss's office. A few minutes later the Pokémon came straight back out, and attacked anything in sight. We just legged it, nothing we have can stand up to them."

Misty nodded, before gesturing for him to join the rest of the Rockets being rounded up by the Pokémon League trainers. She turned as Lance ran strode into the room, flanked by at least a dozen trainers. As soon as he saw Misty he came up to her.

"Congratulations Miss Waterflower, an impressive round-up. Do you know what caused the surrender?"

"'Champion'". Lance's eyes widened. "He has escaped and is attacking the Rockets."

"Cynthia is down there." Lance said warily. "As is…"

Coming up the stairs at a jog were Cynthia and Steven, leading their squads. Cynthia immediately made a bee-line for Lance and Misty, whilst Steven started shouting to the various squad leaders. Under his commands they began to form a defense at the top of the stairs. As Cynthia reached Lance and Misty she started talking very quickly.

"We have a problem, 'Champion's' Pokémon are on a rampage downstairs, and we didn't have the numbers to stop them. The Rockets are being slaughtered."

"We know Cynthia" Lance sighed. "'Champion' is free, Misty questioned a Rocket who saw him."

"He's free? How?"

"I presume his Pokémon." Misty interjected. "What's it like downstairs?"

"Carnage" Cynthia replied. "We won't be able to get down there, there is virtually nothing left. Mewtwo is down there, he said he would try to find a way to stop some of the Pokémon"

"I hope we can stop him here" said Steven as he joined the discussion, Gary alongside him. The stairs had a ring of Pokémon and their trainers

"Stop him?" Misty asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Simple." Lance said. "If he attacks us, we will fight straight back."

"You can't do that" Gary argued. "We are here to rescue him, not to fight him!"

Before anybody else could interject, there were screams from downstairs. As the group turned back to the defenders, a large group of figures dressed in black ran up the stairs. From behind them there was a beam of orange light which caught a man in the back, throwing him across the room. The regional champions hurried to the stairs, looking down into the dust laden air, before sharing a glance and stepping purposefully into the smoke to confront the Pokémon Master. Before Misty could say anything, Pikachu had leaped off her shoulder and darted after them.

* * *

The Rocket grunt was amazed he could run so fast. His group of nearly a dozen trainers had in the lower regions of the Rocket headquarters when they were attacked. Every Pokémon that they sent out was sent flying as a large green Pokémon attacked again and again. The Rockets had tried to retreat, but when their Pokémon were down, their attacker had gone for them. Four of his friends were out cold in an instant, and he had run. He was barely a corridor away when he realized that he was the only one left. Suddenly he was sent skidding across the floor. Looking up in fear, he saw a Sceptile appear in front of him. Cringing with fear, the grunt saw the Sceptile raise its arm, the blade glowing a bright green. The grunt shut his eyes. The blade slashed down, before the grunt was suddenly dragged backwards sharply. Opening his eyes again, the grunt saw another Pokémon, its tail flicking back and forth. The Sceptile was looking at its arm, which was glowing blue. A look of intense effort crossed the Forest Pokémons face, before it's arm suddenly stopped glowing. Mewtwo turned and looked at the dazed grunt behind him, before his eyes glowed once again. The grunt vanished, teleported upstairs. Mewtwo turned back to face Sceptile who had a look of absolute fury on his face.

"_Sceptile, calm down. There is no need for this."_ Mewtwo said calmly.

_"You traitor."_ The Forest Pokémon spat. "_Ash risked his life for you and you betrayed him."_

_"What? I respect Ash above all other humans, I would never do such a thing."_

_"Then why are there other humans here?" _

_"To rescue Ash!" _Mewtwo said, his voice maintaining its calm, despite his rising frustration. "_He set me free, I wanted to do the same!"_

Sceptile spat at Mewtwo's feet, an action that caused the Psychic Legendary to recoil. "_You honestly think that somebody who has the strength to free you from Team Rocket would need freeing himself?"_

Mewtwo froze. He suddenly had a small worm of fear work its way into his mind. He had assumed that his help would be needed in freeing Ash; after all, if he was unable to escape alone, what chance would a human have? But if he didn't need Mewtwo's help in escaping, then why did he not escape? In fact, why did he let himself get captured? Sceptile spat once again, and then began to move past Mewtwo. The Psychic Type blinked, and then used Psychic to stop Sceptile from leaving.

"_If he didn't need my help, why is he still here?" _Mewtwo hissed.

Sceptile glared at Mewtwo, before firing a Bullet Seed that sent Mewtwo skidding across the floor, breaking the Psychic. "_Because, traitor, he was finishing a job he started four years ago to protect you. Giovanni has always run away, yet if he was held for long enough, Giovanni might become lax. He has escaped once again. Because of you." _

Sceptile stalked off, as Mewtwo called after him. "_If Giovanni is gone, why are you still fighting? These Rockets don't deserve to die for their boss' crimes."_

But Mewtwo's words fell on death ears. Sceptile was gone.

* * *

Espeon stood in Giovanni's office, watching her trainer wrapped in Meganium's vines. As they had burst through the door, she has sensed something trigger. Before she could say anything, the frame of the door had sent out arcs of electricity which hit the first thing to step through the door. Ash. For the first time, Espeon was shown the full strength of her trainer. His live eye lit up an electric blue, a color that shone out from underneath his hat, illuminating the room around him, and the trap hit a shield in front of him. For a moment Espeon at her master's side was frozen in shock and that was all it took. As Ash exerted his full strength to try to resist the overwhelming power of the shock, his strength, already drained from resisting the effects of the torture for the entire time that he had been subjected to during his captivity, ran out. Ash had never really recovered from restoring so much of Mewtwos strength, and for a crucial moment he was subjected to the full strength of the cable that was linked to the door, before Espeon broke the cable with Psychic. The Sun Pokémon then used her attack to rip through the office, destroying the other traps, before she was nearly crushed as Meganium picked up her trainer who had collapsed on the floor.

Espeon watched sadly as Meganium stood under the lights in the office, trying to get energy into her trainer. Charizard stood watch over his trainer with her, refusing to leave Ash's side whilst he was injured. The rest of his Pokémon had waited a short while, but their fury at the treatment of their trainer had caused them to go in search of revenge. As a result, aside from the three Pokémon stood guard, the rest were hunting down Rocket agents. Espeons anger was tempting her to go join them, but she knew that her place was with her trainer when he recovered. As she looked up at Charizard, she saw the fury in Charizards eyes as the room grew steadily hotter. Espeon was very glad that Charizard wasn't out hunting Rockets. She had only ever seen his Blaze ability activated once before, another time when Ash was in danger. The raw power had been absolutely terrifying, but at the same time… Espeon noted Meganium seeming to draw more strength from the increased heat and chose not to say anything. She knew that something between Charizard and Ash went back far beyond her knowing either of them.

Movement caused both Charizard and Espeons heads to snap around. Ash was stirring in the vines of Meganium, who gently lay him on the ground before slumping down herself. Tentatively, Espeon reached out with her mind to her trainer. Ash was there, his body utterly exhausted, but slowly he climbed to his feet. Reaching down, he took Meganium's vine in his hand, and she slowly transferred more energy to him, until he stood straight.

"Where are the others?" Ash asked, his voice hollow and tired sounding.

Espeon, Meganium and Charizard looked at each other nervously. Ash had never sounded this tired. Ever. Whilst cold to humans, his voice always had energy, particularly when directed as his Pokémon.

"Espeon." Ash directed his gaze at the Pokémon. "Where are the others?"

"_They… they are taking revenge"_ The Sun Pokémon said sadly.

"Get them back here. Have Alakazam teleport them."

Espeon nodded, and shut her eyes, whilst Ash turned to face Charizard and Meganium.

"Thank you. We will leave here soon. Giovanni has escaped?" Charizard nodded. "I should have seen the trap coming. Exhaustion has apparently caused me to make mistakes."

Alakazam re-appeared in the room, with the other Pokémon. Ash turned to address them.

"I'm disappointed. Violence is necessary, but excessive violence is deplorable. Your actions were an overreaction. However," and Ash held up a hand before his Pokémon could interrupt. "Your loyalty is comforting. Controlling your anger is not always easy. I know that four years ago, I lost control, so I cannot be angry at you for the same. Now, we must deal with the Pokémon League, and their interruption."

Ash held up the Pokéballs of his Pokémon, and started to recall some of them. By the time he was finished only Charizard, Espeon, Meganium and Alakazam stood in front of him. He strode out the door, and towards the upper floors of the base, Meganium's vine still in his hand as the Herb Pokémon continued to transfer energy.

* * *

Cynthia, Lance and Steven stepped off the stairs and looked around in the darkness. Steven held up a Pokéball.

"Metagross, give us some light"

The Iron Leg Pokémon materialized before using Flash to light up the darkness. As the darkness receded, Lance saw a flash of yellow around the corner, vanishing. Before he could do anything, Metagross moved away, led by Steven. The light showed the devastation of the fighting. When her and Steven had escaped the first time, they hadn't had time to register the damage done. As they looked around, they found the bodies of Rockets lying against walls or sprawled across the floor. Cynthia took one look and then looked away quickly. Lance took a hard look, whilst Steven looked around. They started moving quickly, but quickly it became apparent that something was very wrong.

"Where are the Pokémon?" Steven asked quietly. "I thought they were on a rampage."

"I don't know…" Cynthia whispered, the look on her face revealing how hard she was finding this.

Before anybody else could say anything, Metagross grunted and moved around a corner. In front of him was a pair of Rockets lying against a wall like so many before, but these two were still conscious. Cynthia quickly ran to them, kneeling next to the two stricken grunts.

"What happened? Where are the Pokémon?" she asked.

"I… I don't… I can't…" one of the grunts muttered, whilst the other one simply recoiled from Cynthia. She stood up again, before turning back to the other champions.

"They are senseless. What happened down here… I don't know…"

"_They saw their entire squad get wiped out. The bodies are two corridors down, if you'd care to take a look" _a voice spoke into the head of the Champions. "_I don't recommend it."_

The champions spun to see Mewtwo standing behind them. The legendary stood utterly devoid of emotion, before talking once again.

"_Champion has recalled his_ _Pokémon. I spoke to one of them. We should not be here. I can teleport us out if you choose."_

"No" came a calm, emotionless statement. Between Mewtwo and Cynthia, Lance and Steven had appeared Ash. Around him were his Pokémon, Meganium still with a vine around his shoulder, whilst Espeon and Alakazam flanked him. Charizard stood at the back of the group, glaring around. The strength of emotion flowing from the Pokémon caused Cynthia, the nearest to step back involuntarily.

"Mewtwo was correct, you should not be here." Ash continued, his voice completely calm, yet managing to sound dangerous. "What you have done is interrupt something beyond what you believed. I was hours away from capturing Giovanni, and completely ending the threat of Team Rocket. Your interruption enabled him to escape again."

The shock of his statement caused Cynthia, Lance and Steven to freeze. They looked long and hard at the Pokémon Master in front of them, and the way that his Pokémon closed around him protectively. Cynthia had seen Alakazam attack Rockets, hitting not just the Pokémon but the trainers as well, yet the Psi Pokémon now stood next to his trainer, not making an aggressive move at all.

"'Champion' your Pokémon ran riot down here." Lance started cautiously. "What happened? Why did they get so mad?"

"Irrelevant." Ash said. "Steven, Lance, I am aware that you are unaware of the role that Cynthia does for me at Indigo. Suffice it to say, she was informed that she would not be required to aid in any activities beyond those requested of her. I made it clear in the last meeting before I came to Goldenrod that this was something she would not be required to help with. Since you are unaware of this, you can be forgiven for your actions in interfering with my work here."

Lance was about to protest at Ash's words, but Steven put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes Sir" the Hoenn Regional Champion said. "Is there anything else you want us to do?"

"There are trainers upstairs will need to be sorted out. I suggest you deal with them."

"Yes Sir." Steven said, before half-pulling Lance away from the Pokémon Master as he turned back to Cynthia and Mewtwo.

"Cynthia. Go and help Lance and Steven. I will discuss this with you in Indigo."

The Sinnoh-native nodded and left, trying not to make it look like she was fleeing. Soon all that could be heard was the breathing of the Pokémon around Ash as he turned to face Mewtwo. The legendary, for his part, hadn't run, he had just stood facing the Pokémon Master.

"Mewtwo. How many times have I saved you? How many times have I risked my life for you? If it wasn't for me you would still be stuck here. And I find out that, despite knowing I can take care of myself, you decided to go to Cynthia and ruin my plan."

"_You saved me, and I thought that this time I could save you._ _I was trying to help. I didn't expect you to…"_

"To have a plan. To actually have a way of taking down the largest criminal organization ever. I see." Every word delivered with a simple clarity, utterly emotionless.

Mewtwo was supposed to be the most powerful Pokémon in existence. He was confident that he could defeat large and powerful groups of Pokémon, and he knew that the human in front of him only had fourteen, of which only four were even out. It shouldn't be hard for him. Yet there was something about this human. The way that he had given Mewtwo the strength to escape from Team Rocket, the way that he had survived his captivity, the destruction his Pokémon had caused, and the way that Sceptile had broken out of his Psychic, all gave him pause. Over the time that Mewtwo had known Ash, he had seen the trainer grow from a naïve kid into a trainer who got things done quickly. From what Cynthia had told him, it had been three weeks from when Ash found out that Team Rocket had reformed, and if he was to be believed, he had nearly wiped the organization out. This man could do anything. And although it pained him to admit it, Mewtwo feared what could happen to him if he drove this man to anger.

"_Ash, the debt I owe you is one that I struggle to repay. I didn't intend to cause problems."_

Ash simply looked at Mewtwo for a long minute, before starting to speak once again.

"If you were human, part of the Pokémon League, you would be punished. You are not. You are free, a Pokémon with no commitments. As a result, you are beyond my jurisdiction. Furthermore, you are a Pokémon, who could not have understood the politics of your actions. Your actions were designed to aid me as you saw best, so I am grateful. But from this Mewtwo, remember, getting involved in human affairs is always difficult. Every action has a reaction, and if you don't know everything, it can be bad."

Ash turned and walked away. Mewtwo was about to leave when he saw a small yellow Pokémon appear around the corner. Mewtwo looked long and hard at Pikachu who had clearly watched the whole affair. Choosing not to say anything, Mewtwo took to the sky, and fled the scene. He wanted to forget this entire experience, he had tried to actively intervene and help a human for the first time ever, and he had failed completely. As Mewtwo raced into the sky, he looked down over Goldenrod. Knowing that Giovanni had escaped, he knew that the man would almost certainly come for him again. He needed somewhere safe. As Mewtwo raced away from civilization, his mind started to consider the possibilities.

* * *

As Steven pulled Lance down the corridor, the Dragon Master eventually pulled himself away.

"What are you doing?" Lance snapped. "His Pokémon _have_ run riot down here, and I want to know why."

Steven stopped and glared at Lance. "That man is the head of the Pokémon League." The Hoenn Champion said, his voice laden with repressed anger. "I was thinking of you. He could easily have us removed, or punished. The fact that he has chosen to overlook our interference is of great benefit to us. It means that when this has blown over, we will remain as the regional Champions."

Lance looked at Steven, and for once thought before he started speaking again. What his colleague said did make sense. "So, do you think that Cynthia will be punished by him?" Lance asked, calmer than before.

"I don't know. If what 'Champion' said about ordering her not to interfere is true, I fear so. He's already shown that he's not afraid to replace people who he feels aren't right for the job."

"Can he even replace Cynthia?" Lance asked. "I mean, she's still the Sinnoh Champion right? Doesn't she have to be beaten?"

Steven nodded, before turning and walking back towards the stairs. "I'm not sure. I want to find out."

As they reached the stairs, Lance and Steven sped up. Metagross was the first one up. Just behind them, they heard footsteps. Before they got to the top, Cynthia had caught the other two Champions, and they emerged together. The trainers ahead of them looked relieved to see their leaders, as Lance stepped forwards to address them.

"Listen up. 'Champion' has ordered a withdrawal. As you know, the main focus of this mission was his rescue. That has been accomplished, and his Pokémon are more than capable of finishing any remaining resistance from Team Rocket, although that is unlikely. As a result, our mission is now to deal with the Rockets here. Escort them to the train, more carriages have been added to store them."

As the squads moved into action once again, Lance looked at Cynthia and Steven.

"I vote we get out of here as quickly as possible. I got the impression that our leader wasn't particularly pleased."

The other two regional Champions nodded their agreement. They all feared the repercussions from this whole affair.

* * *

Giovanni stepped off the helicopter and straight into a building. The site Agent had found as a back-up Team Rocket base was remote in the extreme, yet there was the start of a building there. It had clearly only just started being built, but Giovanni was also surprised at the state of the building he was in. Clearly Agent had planned a back-up in building. Turning to the man who had led him in, Giovanni mentioned this.

"When you asked me to make a plan to deal with the Pokémon Master, this was part of the plan, Sir." Agent said. "I did fear that he might be difficult, so this base was our back-up. It's not on any Team Rocket records; they won't be able to find it."

"Well done." Giovanni said, a smile playing on his lips. "How much have we lost?"

"We have managed to get all our assets away from our old base, Sir. They have been moved out over the last week, a measure I thought prudent. We have completely evacuated the side bases in Hoenn and Sinnoh. Training bases have been abandoned, we can rebuild later."

"Excellent. The science team?"

"They arrived just before us Sir."

"Good. Send them up to my office."

Agent was too sharp to miss the hint. "Your office is up on the left Sir. Allow me to show you."

Giovanni allowed himself to be led into a room with very little furniture, only a simple desk and a computer on top. He made no comment, for a building which didn't exist two weeks ago, his subordinate had done an impressive job in making it even functional. Sitting behind the desk, he waited for the science team to enter, which they duly did.

"Mewtwo has escaped once again." Giovanni said coldly. "This you know. I want him found once again. Go back to the information you have, and tell me where to go."

"Based on the information in our computers, we would normally guess that he would retreat somewhere remote Sir" the chief scientist said. "However, equally, we would never predict that he would use the Pokémon League for aid, which our analysis suggests he did."

Giovanni leaned forward in his seat, an action that was enough to display his potential displeasure. This was not lost on the scientist who cringed slightly.

"So you're telling me you can't find him again?"

"No Sir. I'm saying that we need to consider the chance that he might have moved. His behavior over the last week is unusual. Mewtwo has a distrust of humans that he seems to have overcome to work with the Pokémon League. We will need time with the information we have from Mewtwo to give you anything better Sir."

Of course. The information on Mewtwo stored in the Team Rocket computers. That information had been extremely useful to Giovanni. He remembered time when he came back from Mount Quena, a fiasco that he knew nothing about at the time. It had taken the research team a week to sum up the courage to send a representative to their boss to ask about the eventual outcome of the mission. The poor man had returned, absolutely terrified an hour later. He claimed that Giovanni had shouted at him, told him he was going mad, and then thrown him out. The chief scientist had gone up to see his boss, who had listened somewhat more carefully to the scientist. Eventually he had demanded evidence of what his science team was trying to explain to him. The aftermath had been interesting.

Giovanni had been given answers that day. The reason he had been at Mount Quena, something he had not known. The reason for the deployment of the Team Rocket combat squad. The reason for the science project that the team was trying to tell him about. Giovanni had been furious when he realized what had happened; his memories erased by Mewtwo. However, since then he had always made sure to protect the information stored in the Rocket computers. The fact that it might be his only chance to recover information that would otherwise be lost had been made clear. Since then Giovanni had made it an objective for him; to control this Pokémon that had that kind of mental power and strength. Anything that powerful was something to be controlled. And every time, Mewtwo seemed to slip from his grasp. Giovanni knew now what had started. He was in a private battle with the Pokémon Master, a battle that he thought he had won before the man escaped him again. Dismissing the science team, Giovanni contemplated his next move. He knew that he had the greatest chance as long as Team Rocket remained strong, but he knew as well that facing 'Champion' wouldn't be easy. As the reconstruction of a Team Rocket base went on around him, Giovanni brooded over the various ways that he could bring things to a head. He knew that time to rebuild was essential, so he would wait. Wait until he had a chance to strike once again.

* * *

Cynthia stood in the elevator nervously. She had been summoned for a meeting with the Pokémon Master, to discuss the "debacle in Goldenrod" three days after it had happened. She had ended the training camp, thanking all the trainers for attending, and releasing the specialists to themselves. Somehow, the entire Goldenrod affair had been kept out of the newspapers, although she had absolutely no idea how. 'Champions' influence she suspected. Nobody in the media had forgotten the reporter who had laid a hand on the Pokémon Master on the day he won his title. The man was not to be trifled with. Although, she reflected, such a move from 'Champion' would be surprising given his ways of insisting on privacy. The lift stopped, and Cynthia slowly walked out. The door at the end of the corridor seemed a long way away. Taking a deep breath, she started to walk towards the door.

As she reached it, the door swung open. Sat behind the desk was 'Champion'. Behind him was his Espeon, who looked long and hard at Cynthia. Cynthia winced, as she felt the gaze of the Sun Pokémon go straight through her. Espeon blinked, before looking away and yawning. Taking the seat in front of her superior's desk, Cynthia sat down, trying not to feel like a schoolgirl dragged in front of the headmaster.

"Cynthia." 'Champion' started, his voice completely calm, no trace of any emotion whatsoever. "Please explain your actions in the Goldenrod debacle. All of them."

Cynthia gulped. She had expected this, but there was something different about this meeting with 'Champion'. Whilst her previous encounters hadn't exactly been warm, they were certainly a lot warmer than this. 'Champion' was living up to his cold reputation, something that Cynthia had thought he wouldn't do with her.

"I had originally had no intention of coming after you." Cynthia said, her voice betraying her nerves. "It was only after Mewtwo came to me and told me that you had been captured, and I thought that you had fallen into a trap. Mewtwo talked about how he had been tortured, and I feared the same could happen to you. It was only at that point that I started looking for ways to follow you; I thought your plan had gone wrong."

"I see." 'Champion' said. "You are correct, I was being tortured. This was what I had expected. What I didn't expect was for my suffering to be negated by the ill-advised actions of somebody that I trusted not to be hasty."

Cynthia gasped to hear of 'Champions' treatment, he spoke of it so calmly. She wanted to know what was done to him, but feared asking.

'Champion' continued. "Now, that explains your reasoning for coming after me. Why did you bring who you did?"

"I spoke to Lance and Steven and they agreed that the Gym Leaders would be the kind of trainers we would want for this sort of thing. Each of these Gym leaders would bring some trainers from their gyms and then the Elite Four from each region would bring a few trainers. Mewtwo told us that we would need a lot of trainers, and we felt that this would guarantee strength. In addition I brought all the specialists and trainers who were at the training camp. Every trainer was given a chance to drop out, but none of them took it. It meant that we had enough trainers to deal with the Rockets adequately."

"And Mewtwo?"

"Mewtwo?" Cynthia repeated, confused.

"You brought a Pokémon that Team Rocket had been trying to capture straight back into the heart of their base."

"He was determined to join us. He felt that he was needed to break through the Rockets. He also said that he owed you a debt and wanted to repay it."

'Champion' leant back in his chair regarding Cynthia. Behind him, his Espeon was once again looking at Cynthia, and with the two both analyzing her, Cynthia felt that she was being pulled to piece in front of them. It was not a comfortable experience. She felt that she needed to explain more as to her feelings, the fear that Team Rocket would have a hold over the Pokémon League if the Pokémon Master remained in captivity, but she wasn't sure how to explain this to the man in front of her. After a minute, Cynthia heard a voice in her mind.

"_Cynthia."_

Cynthia froze before tentatively answering out loud. "Yes?"

"_Stop leaving things out."_

Cynthia looked around to try to find the source of the voice, but the only Pokémon in sight was Espeon, who was still staring at Cynthia.

"Anything else you want to say?" 'Champion' spoke once again his voice still perfectly calm.

"I… the only reason that we came after you was because I thought you needed us. I thought that you hadn't planned for it. I'm sorry."

'Champion' nodded his head slightly, before standing up and looking out of the window. Cynthia remained sat in her chair, unsure of what to do, but certain that she wasn't out of trouble. In fact, as 'Champion' turned, she had a sense of foreboding.

"I gave you the chance" 'Champion' said. "You have lied to me Cynthia. That was unwise."

"What?" Cynthia surged to her feet. "I haven't! I've been…"

"Sit." The simple command, delivered in the maddeningly calm tone yet with an overwhelming amount of authority behind it that left Cynthia no doubt as to whether she should obey. She quickly sat, as 'Champion' started talking once again.

"You claim that you had no plans of following me, yet James Kojiru was brought here mere hours after I departed. Throughout my capture he remained at the Pokémon League. He was also invited to a meeting in your office a short time after Mewtwo arrived. That makes it highly unlikely that his arrival was coincidence. Thoughts Miss Shirona?"

It was the first time that 'Champion' had addressed her by her surname. That more than anything made Cynthia realize that despite his lack of visible emotion, 'Champion' was angry. Throughout her entire time working for him, Cynthia had always assumed a special relationship between herself and the Pokémon Master, something that to an extent he had responded to, using her name, an honor she was unaware he had extended to anybody else. He would also listen to her when she came to him, but now, something had changed.

"I… I…"

"So you never had any intention of obeying my orders. You also took a risk, if Giovanni had any more traps, you could have just gifted him the strongest trainers in the world. Did you ever ask Mewtwo about that? Perhaps consider an extra scouting mission?"

Cynthia's silence was enough to confirm 'Champions' suspicions; she had not. She had blindly trusted Mewtwo. Registering this, 'Champion' pressed on.

"Furthermore, when you did bring a force to the Rocket base, did you consider a minimum age for your force? There were children there, and you brought them to fight against an organization that you _knew_ could kill them. Did you consider that Cynthia?"

For the first time in the entire interview, 'Champions' voice lost its level tone. And for the second time since she had known him, emotion crossed his face. Absolute fury. It was there for a moment before he repressed it.

"They wanted to…"

"That is no excuse. They were ten years old. I recruited you to teach young trainers, not to try to get them killed."

Cynthia bowed her head. Deep down, she knew that 'Champion' was right. Yet he wasn't finished.

"Your attempts to hide this, no attempt to justify it tells me you hadn't considered it. Equally your complete disregard of orders, orders that you never had any plans of following is a disgrace. You're services are no longer required at Indigo."

Cynthia felt the shock run through her system. She knew that 'Champion' was angry, but this was totally unexpected. She had done what she thought was right, and the job that she had loved was gone. Her head bowed, she was about to move when the voice of 'Champion' once again.

"Furthermore, due to your total disregard for the safety of the youngsters under your tutelage, you are hereby banned from teaching. This in effect means that when you return to Sinnoh, you will train alone, and fulfill only basic duties as the head of the Regional Elite Four."

Cynthia stood up, anger blazing inside of her. "You can't do that! Teaching is what I do best, you can't…"

"Can't I, Miss Shirona?" 'Champions' voice was cold, the exact tone that he had used when he had thrown Pryce out from his gym just over a month previously. "I think you'll find I can. And if the reason ever became known to anybody other than the two of us, I think that others might agree."

"But I… You know I'm a good teacher, that's why you hired me in the first place! You can't take that away…"

"Miss Shirona, never believe you are irreplaceable. Now, I suggest you accept my decision before I have you removed as the Sinnoh Champion."

Cynthia felt her legs turn to jelly. She was unsure if 'Champion' could carry out such a threat, but she knew him well enough to know it wouldn't simply be idle. Calling his bluff was not a good idea. She fell back into her chair, her head bowed, tears flowing out of her eyes. 'Champion' looked down on her, his eyes hidden by his hat, but no pity in his demeanor.

"I suggest you return to Sinnoh, Miss Shirona."

Behind Cynthia the door opened, and 'Champion' strode out, not looking back on the trainer who everybody believed to be the best in a generation, utterly humbled, as everything in her career that she had loved was stripped away. On the desk, Espeon stretched, before leaping lightly to the floor in front of Cynthia. The Sun Pokémon put a paw on each of Cynthia's shoulders, looking the distraught trainer in the eye. The warmth in Espeon's gaze was a stark contrast to her trainers words. After a long gaze, Espeon pulled away, and padded out of the room, leaving Cynthia alone with her misery.

**A/N**

**Firstly, I feel I should write something in memory of Hiroshi Yamauchi. For those of you who are unaware, he passed away on Thursday (19****th**** Sep. 2013). Hiroshi Yamauchi ran Nintendo from 1949 to 2002, and was the main reason for Nintendo entering the entertainment business. Under his guiding hand, Nintendo created Pokémon as well as other famous brands. His vision is the reason for Nintendo's success and global notoriety as a giant of the video game industry, and the third most valuable company in Japan. Rest in peace Hiroshi.**

**Secondly, my standard thanks to everybody who reads and reviews. I know that this thank you is becoming common-place, but I do appreciate it just as much as I did when I first thanked you ten chapters ago. As is becoming common here, I'll keep responding to a few of the reviews…**

**Kalm1234: In a way I'm glad you don't think I can write torture that well… I don't want to feel that sadistic! As for your own personal torture… sorry! All joking aside, Espeon and Alakazam were too focused on Ash, remember, the League forces did their best to try to look like standard people wandering through the city. Assuming they did it well (which they did btw) it would've been very, very difficult to spot them. As for his emotion, he isn't utterly emotionless, just hides it. Cynthia has just found that out.**

**SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan: At the end of Sinnoh Brock leaves to become a Pokémon** **Doctor. **

**Keeper of Storms: Mewtwo would indeed be capable of fighting off huge numbers, but he can only block so many attacks. Equally, he can only attack so many simultaneously. Send enough** **Pokémon at him and he will eventually be worn down. He is stupidly powerful (as legendaries should be) yet even the strongest can be defeated eventually.**

**Those asking for Rayshipping... Sorry, I had never intended that. This chapter shows why. **

**Think that covers everything... I'll try to keep the updates coming, although I can't promise that they'll stay at the current rate for ever. Keep reading and keep reviewing, and if you're bored, put it in a different language. I'm curious to see if anybody can best google translate...**


	14. Chapter 14

The TV came to life, showing an image of a reporter stood in front of Indigo Stadium, the camera tilted up to get as much as the stadium as possible whilst

_"Good morning. For the first time since he took his title, the __Pokémon Master, 'Champion' has announced that he will be holding a press conference. This comes amid rumors that Cynthia Shirona, the previous Pokémon Master, who had been working as a trainer's instructor, has been removed from her role. Miss Shirona, who remains the Sinnoh Regional Champion, has not commented on the rumors, but her return to Sinnoh from Indigo suggests that there is some weight to them."_

The reporter turned slightly, before looking straight back into the camera.

_"We will show you the conference live in just a moment, as it is about to begin."_

The scene changed, from outside Indigo to inside the stadium itself. Stood facing towards the reporters was 'Champion', his body-language as neutral as ever. The conference was being broadcast around the world such was the hype behind it. In the Cerulean Gym, Daisy, Violet, Lily, Dawn, Misty, Gary, Brock, and Tracy were all sat around the TV watching.

_"Good morning" came the voice of 'Champion' easily picked up by the cameras. "I will start with discussing the rumors regarding Miss Shirona's removal. They are true. She had been working at Indigo teaching trainers, but has now departed to take up her responsibilities as Sinnoh Champion once again."_

_Loud calls echoed from the assembled reporters, shouting questions down at 'Champion', who waited patiently for them to subside until one question became louder than the others._

_"The reason for her departure was internal, and as such I am not at a liberty to discuss it." 'Champion' said. "She will remain as Sinnoh Champion until she is beaten in a challenge match, I do not intend to have her forcefully replaced."_

_More questions came down, although one stood out from the rest. "Does her removal have anything to do with the events in Goldenrod City over the last week?"_

_'Champion' maintained his composure, despite his internal annoyance. The media were always able to find out things he had hoped that they wouldn't, but this was one of the worse ones._

_"Events in Goldenrod?" he asked calmly._

_"The alleged assault on a building by the __Pokémon League, and the subsequent removal of criminals from said building."_

_"As I have said previously, I am not at liberty to discuss the reasons for the removal of Miss Shirona, that is her prerogative." 'Champion' said._

_"But did these alleged events happen?" the same man called down once again._

_"In Goldenrod City, in that particular building, there was a small criminal fraternity. Miss Shirona dealt with it in the manner she thought best."_

_"Reports say that nearly two hundred trainers were involved" the reporter continued. "Surely that's excessive to deal with a 'small criminal fraternity'?"_

_"It depends." 'Champion' replied. "How many trainers would you bring to take me on? Miss Shirona was simply being cautious. As it was, the number of trainers required was vastly overestimated, the criminals were apprehended without trouble."_

_"Why didn't you lead the operation?" another voice called out. _

_"I was engaged in other business, although I did take a keen interest in it, and would have been able to intervene should I have felt it necessary."_

_The reporters fell silent for a moment, before another question was called._

_"Miss Shirona was running training camps; do you foresee these being continued?"_

_"When I have a replacement for her, they will continue, yes." 'Champion' answered. "However, I cannot guarantee when such a replacement will occur be found." As he had answered everything that he knew he had to, 'Champion' continued before any more questions could be asked. "Thank you for coming; that will be all." And he turned and left the stage._

The TV returned to the image of the man outside Indigo Stadium.

_"That was Pokémon Master 'Champions' first interview since he won his title, three months ago. A man who has since become famous for his love of privacy, it is expected to be the last for a while. He has confirmed the departure of Miss Cynthia Shirona, the previous Pokémon Master, who was dealt a crushing defeat by 'Champion' in their Championship match. Critics have commented that Miss Shirona's popularity meant that her removal would create a degree of dislike towards 'Champion' although he has thus far proven to be immune to such public disapproval, as shown by his removal of Gym Leaders around the four regions."_

Brock turned the TV off, before looking around. From inside the Gym came a call.

"Hello? I'm looking for the Gym Leader, is anybody there?"

The four Waterflower sisters looked at each other, and Misty grinned. "I've got this one." She got up and left the room, followed by Gary. Brock and Dawn looked at each other, before they saw Lily watching them with a raised eyebrow.

"Well like go on after them." She said. "You clearly like want to."

Dawn looked slightly abashed, but Brock was chuckling.

"It's not that what I want to watch Lily." He said. "I'm debating whether I should heal the Pokémon afterwards or not, I think they might be in bad shape." Still chuckling, the Pokémon Doctor got to his feet, before strolling into the battle area, Dawn bouncing along behind him.

* * *

Cynthia Shirona stood facing the main administration building on Lily of the Valley Island. It had been over three years since this had been her home; during her term as Pokémon Master she had been based at Indigo, and only returned when she had to. Regardless, inside was a room that remained the office of the Sinnoh Champion. Her. Cynthia sighed to think of it. She was the Sinnoh Champion, but due to the ban from 'Champion' she couldn't teach, all she could do was simply wait to be beaten. Something that in her mind couldn't happen soon enough. She knew, without even having to return to it, that she would not enjoy being a battling Champion, it wasn't her style. She would simply wait until a decent challenger came along, and then she suspected she would lose. The thought of it was maddening. She had never wanted this for her life.

Still subdued, Cynthia walked into the building, going straight into the lift up to the office, and sitting down behind her desk. She sighed, one last time, before reaching for the phone on her desk.

"Elites, my office." She said into the mouthpiece. "I need to talk to you all."

Within minutes, all four of the Sinnoh Elite Four were sat in front of their 'Champion'. Aaron, the bug Master, his Skorupi riding on his shoulder. Bertha, the ground type trainer, Flint the Fire-type specialist and Lucian, the Psychic trainer. All sat in front of their 'Champion', having heard of her removal from Indigo, and sympathizing with it, despite also welcoming her home after more than three years of managing without their leader.

"I'm back in Sinnoh to stay." Cynthia started. "This, you know. What you will not know is the reason for this. Namely, the reason that 'Champion' had me removed. I feel that you should know, so you can understand why my position is now one of great difficulty for me. But so you can understand, I have been banned from instructing other trainers by the Pokémon Master. This effectively means that all I am able to do with respect to Pokémon is lead the Sinnoh region; I can only fight to retain my title."

Cynthia's words caused a stir amongst her elites; they knew how good a teacher Cynthia was. They had all received instruction from her at some point. To hear that she was now forbidden from doing so was surprising. 'Champion' was throwing away a great asset; there weren't many teachers better than Cynthia. Or so they thought. What they didn't know was that 'Champion' himself was a good teacher. Cynthia held up a hand to silence them once again, before she continued.

"I understand that you are surprised. This is why you need to know why. It has to do with the whole 'Goldenrod debacle'. In an interview afterwards, he made his opinion very clear. I was removed for two reasons. Firstly, he does not need somebody who does not obey his orders. Although I thought I was doing the right thing, he disagreed, and as such felt that my usefulness was ended. That although harsh, I can understand. He is doing what he feels is right. When I first was recruited, he had discussed this with me, and he had made it very clear that I was not there in an advisory role; I was there in a subordinate role. I had assumed that the circumstances would mitigate this. I was wrong."

Now there was absolute silence from the Elite Four. They had never heard Cynthia admit she was wrong, and not because she was arrogant. She simply was never wrong. She had been the Sinnoh Champion for nine years, and in all that time she had virtually never made a mistake. She was brilliant at her job. When they watched her battle, she had been ruthless, flawless in skill. When she had delved into the far murkier world of politics, she was able to demonstrate fantastic people skills, able to push them to exactly the right point, until they conceded, but never, ever losing control of the situation. Her admission that she had misjudged the Pokémon Master to this extent was shocking.

"That however is not a good enough reason to ban me from teaching" Cynthia continued. "The ban came from something else. During the events in Goldenrod City, we had some very young trainers with us. In fact, the youngest were a mere ten years old. 'Champion' felt that the assault on the Rocket building was a situation that I should not have brought them into. This is something you can agree with or not, but he does have a point. That was another miscalculation on my part, and it is one that I will pay for. Regardless of your thoughts, with him having explained his opinion, I feel that I must agree. As a result, I will not be working against this ban, I will be accepting it. If I need anything else I will call you once again."

Realizing that this was a dismissal, the elite four stood up once again, and headed for the door. However, as they reached it, Flint turned back to Cynthia, and said sadly, "You know Cynthia; it is good to have you back. We don't like the circumstances, but still." And with that, the Elite Four left Cynthia to her thoughts.

The Sinnoh Champion put her head on her desk, and finally let the tears that had been threatening since she got back to Sinnoh fall. She was furious at herself for her actions. As she sat at her desk, a voice spoke into her mind.

"_Cynthia. I need something from you."_

* * *

Pikachu was pacing around in Cerulean City. He was annoyed; he knew something was wrong with the Pokémon Master. The man had a Charizard who looked like he wanted to rip Pikachu to pieces, and Mewtwo clearly knew who 'Champion' was. In the basement of the Team Rocket headquarters, Pikachu had watched 'Champion' and Mewtwo have an argument. Mewtwo had only been talking into 'Champions' mind, so Pikachu didn't know what he had been saying, but 'Champion' had clearly not been happy with it. The tone of his voice was one that Pikachu wouldn't think any human would dare to take with Mewtwo, yet 'Champion' had shown no fear. If anything Mewtwo had seemed the hesitant one. Pikachu couldn't understand it. He wanted to know more about the Pokémon Master, yet the man was so mysterious.

Pikachu gave up his pacing and started to wander through the center of Cerulean City. As frequently happened, his mind wandered back to his old trainer, Ash Ketchum. The day that he had left had been etched into Pikachu's heart, and there were times he regretted it. Yet he remembered the training, and the way that it had been getting harder, and he remembered how Ash had been pushing his Pokémon harder and harder. Pikachu had wanted to become stronger, but he feared the consequences for the man he loved. Ash may have still cared, but the way that he had left everybody behind worried Pikachu. He knew he trainer needed friends, why else would he have always had them? When Pikachu had left, he had hoped that Ash would follow. Perhaps even have beaten him back to Pallet Town. Yet Pikachu had never seen him again. And he knew why. The same day that Pikachu had led the Pokémon away from Ash, he tried to lead them to Pallet, and they had refused, leaving him alone. Pikachu had known the pain that Ash had gone through, but still returned home. As a final tribute to his trainer, Pikachu maintained his fitness at a level far, far above what he really needed. He always enjoyed the irony as he worked out, or ran that he was doing exactly what his trainer had wanted from him. If Ash ever came home, Pikachu intended to be as strong as possible. Despite this training, he had never returned to full time battling. Pikachu occasionally fought for one of Ash's friends, but never like he did for Ash, involved in almost every fight. And when he fought he never, ever, fought as powerfully as he could. His training regime gave him endurance far beyond most Pokémon, coupled with increasing his strength. Pikachu knew that if he fought at full strength, there wouldn't be many that could stand up to him.

Pikachu was snapped out of his thoughts by something hitting him in the face. Reacting quickly, he grabbed it, and looked down. It was a flyer, to encourage trainers to go compete in the Johto League. That league brought back memories, the first time Ash defeated Gary, as well as the last time Ash had travelled with Misty. Pikachu missed those days, they were simple. Suddenly something at the bottom of the page caught his attention. 'The winner of the Johto League will be given the chance to battle the Pokémon Master in a full battle.' Pikachu took his page to the edge of the street and sat down with it, thinking. He knew that something was wrong with the Pokémon Master, yet he hadn't found a way to get close to the man. Yet if he was able to get into a battle with him… Pikachu suddenly had a brilliant idea. He got up and dashed back through the streets of Cerulean, heading straight for the gym.

Misty was by the pool when Pikachu dashed in, holding something in his mouth. Gary was with her, and they were feeding some of the Pokémon. They both turned as Pikachu skidded to a stop beside them, Gary raising his eyebrow at the mouse's antics. Pikachu ignored him and showed Misty what he had in his mouth. As she took the flyer, Pikachu jumped into her lap, so Misty held it so that the Pokémon could see it as she read. However, once she had skimmed it, Misty looked down at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, why have you brought me this?" Pikachu jabbed his hand at the bottom of the page. Reading it again, Misty looked back down at Pikachu, before showing it to Gary. "I still don't understand Pikachu." Misty continued. "I've already fought him once, and it was destructive. What's changed?"

Pikachu pulled a face. It was at times like this that he really missed Ash; his first trainer was better at understanding him than anybody else.

"Pika, Pikachu, Pika, Pikachu, chu"

Misty looked at Gary, before shrugging. Gary suddenly took out a Pokéball and threw it. Blastoise appeared, with a roar. Pikachu turned to the Shellfish Pokémon and started talking rapidly once again. As Pikachu finished, Blastoise nodded and turned to Gary.

"Toise. Blastoise, blast, blastoise" the Pokémon said to his trainer. Gary listened carefully then turned to Misty.

"Having spent so long with Blastoise, I can sort of understand him when he talks. I think Pikachu thinks you've got stronger since you last faced Champion. Is that right Pikachu?"

"Pika!" said the rodent, whilst nodding.

"How?" Misty asked. "I mean, I'm not saying you're wrong, but I don't think I've improved that much…"

Pikachu rolled his eyes and looked at Blastoise, who nodded and suddenly fired a Hydro Pump across the room at Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokémon was caught unawares, but managed to drop below the attack, before surfacing in front of Blastoise with a roar.

"Gyarados, stand down!" Misty shouted, whilst Gary was berating his starter for the attack.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, causing them all to look at him. "Pikachu, Pika". Suddenly Misty realized what Pikachu was saying.

"Oh right. You're saying that the training we did on that day with the Pokémon Master made us stronger. Gyarados wouldn't normally have been able to react quickly enough. Am I right?"

"Pika" the Pokémon said with a smile, relieved to have gotten his point across.

"I don't know Misty…" Gary said a concerned look on his face. "I mean, I have no doubt that you could go far, but only having one type? You're a great trainer, one of the best, but can you win a tournament with only one type of Pokémon? It's possible, and I think you should probably enter more competitions, but a regional league?"

Misty looked down, only to see Pikachu gesturing to himself. "Pikachu? You'll fight?" Pikachu nodded. Misty felt a grin slide across her face. Pikachu was a powerful Pokémon, and with her team, she knew that she could do really well. A thought crossed her mind. "Pikachu, why are you doing this?" The mouse took the flyer from where it had fallen to the floor and pointed at the words Pokémon Master. He then adopted a confused pose. "Because you're confused about him?" Pikachu nodded again. "Alright. Why not? Entering a tournament would be fun." Misty turned to Gary. "You gonna come with me? It won't take long to get the badges if we move quickly; I doubt any of the Gym Leaders can really match me." As Gary nodded, Misty turned and headed deeper inside the gym to tell her sisters.

* * *

"Come _on_ Mel!" Sam shouted. "We're nearly there!"

Sam was dragging his friend along the road towards Olivine City. In the aftermath of the training camp they had moved a lot quicker between gyms, having thrashed Morty in the Ecruteak Gym a few days previously. The Gym Leader had been completely stunned against the two youngsters, and they were hoping to pick up their fifth badges against Jasmine. As they reached the gym, Mellanie finally put her foot down.

"No. I am not going a step further until we've had a break. We have been travelling for ten hours today, I want a rest."

Sam turned to see his friend glaring at him. He was about to argue, then saw the look in her eyes, and decided that perhaps she had a point. "Alright, let's go to the Pokémon Center. We'll go to the gym later."

"Tomorrow" Mellanie growled. Sam laughed nervously, holding his hands up in surrender.

The following morning Sam and Mellanie stepped into the gym. They were greeted by a teenage girl, who directed them to the main gym area. Jasmine was stood watching her trainees in front of her. When she saw Sam and Mellanie she smiled and stepped down to meet them.

"Good morning." Jasmine said with a warm smile. "What can I do for you two?"

"We'd like to challenge you for the Mineral badge" Mellanie answered.

Jasmine's smile widened. "I will accept on one condition. You need to defeat one of my trainees first, in a one on one, before you face me. Are you two here together?" Mellanie nodded. "In that case, you may fight in a double battle against Janina, and then against me if you win."

As the two youngsters nodded, Jasmine turned to her trainees. "Janina, you have a battle."

A beautiful teenager strolled out from the group. "Two of them?" she asked. Sam and Mellanie nodded together. "Very well. This should be interesting."

"This double battle between Janina of the Olivine Gym against the pairing of Sam Fernandez and Mellanie Rigger both of New Bark Town" the trainee who was acting as referee announced. "Release your Pokémon."

"Onix, Mawile, come on and battle!" Janina announced, releasing her Pokémon.

"Haunter, I choose you!" shouted Sam.

" Machop, come on out!" Mellanie called, releasing her Pokémon.

"Haunter, Night Shade!" Sam started.

"Machop, Karate Chop!"

"Iron Defense" Janina said calmly.

The two attacks fired into the two Pokémon who simply endured it. "Now, Onix, Take Down, Mawile Iron Head"

Before Machop could back away, Mawile smashed into him, sending him into the air, before Onix crashed through the Fighting type. Mellanie gasped, as Machop skidded back towards her. The Superpower Pokémon slowly got to his feet, clearly in pain.

"Now, Flash Cannon."

"Haunter, Hypnosis"

Mawile fired a silver beam at Machop, who only just managed to roll out of the way but was caught by the edge of the explosion, skidding across the field. Haunter appeared in front of Mawile, but as it attacked, Onix dived into the way, and took the effects of Hypnosis, falling asleep instead.

"Mawile, Crunch"

Before Haunter could dodge, Mawile spun lightly, and the second jaw on the back bit down on Haunter. Hard. Haunter tried to escape, but Mawile wouldn't let go.

"Machop, Brick Break."

Mawile swung around again, releasing Haunter, before pirouetting away from Machop's attack, and then charged another Flash Cannon to fire at Machop at almost point blank range.

"Machop, grab the jaws"

"Haunter, Shadow Ball."

Before Mawile could finish her attack, Machop managed to grab hold of her second jaw, and clung on with his strength. Haunter then fired a powerful Shadow Ball at the Deceiver Pokémon, which was no longer able to dodge. At the last moment, Machop let go, and rolled away, as the Shadow Ball connected. Before Mawile could recover, Machop closed the distance once again.

"Machop, end it with Cross Chop!" Mellanie called.

Machop smashed its arms into the Deceiver Pokémon, which caused it to keel over, clearly knocked out. As Machop and Haunter retreated back to their trainer, clearly worn out from the battle, Janina recalled her Mawile with a smile on her face. Before they could ask why, there was a roar. Onix reared its head and glared at the two Pokémon in front of him.

"Congratulations on defeating Mawile." Janina complimented Sam and Mellanie. "Yet you haven't beaten Onix yet, and your Pokémon are tired." As if in agreement, Onix roared loudly.

"Onix, Rock Slide."

"Haunter, fly above it and use Shadow Ball." Sam ordered.

"Machop, dodge." Mellanie commanded with a grin.

Machop looked back at its trainer, before registering the grin on her face. He surged at the sliding rocks, leaping from rock to rock, completely negating Onix's attack. Janina's eyes widened in shock, and she froze for a crucial moment. Haunters Shadow Ball smashed into the Rock Snake Pokémon, and as Onix recovered, he found Haunter directly in front of him.

"Hypnosis followed by Dream Eater." Sam commanded.

Unable to look away quickly enough, Onix was soon caught by Haunters Hypnosis once again, but this time as he slumped, Haunters eyes glowed and a shadow flew through Onix. Whilst the attack drained a great deal of health, Onix remained asleep.

"Cross Chop" said Mellanie with a smile.

Machop smashed into Onix and sent the Pokémon skidding back across the field. Onix wearily reared its head, before lowering it again as it felt the pain of the attacks. Before it could recover any more, Haunter sent a final Shadow Ball into Onix, causing the Pokémon to crash to the ground once again. Machop closed in, before Janina called out.

"Stop!" Machop skidded to a halt in front of his opponent, before looking at Mellanie in surprise. Janina held out a Pokéball, and recalled Onix. "I forfeit. I was unable to win that fight. Congratulations to both of you."

She stepped away from the field, and Mellanie and Sam looked at each other, before grinning. They then heard a voice from across the room. "Don't celebrate too early; you still have to defeat me." They turned and saw Jasmine stepping into the trainer's box. "And believe me; I'm better than Janina, although she is getting very good. Steelix, Magneton, this is yours."

Mellanie and Sam quickly recalled their own Pokémon as an even larger snake appeared on the field, Magneton next to it. Sam didn't even think, before he threw out a Pokéball. "Quilava, I choose you!"

Mellanie took slightly longer, looking down at her belt. Eventually she pulled out a Pokéball and threw it.

"Geodude, come on out!"

As the Pokémon appeared in front of her, he sized up Steelix, who simply grinned down at him. Quilava simply smirked at Magneton.

"Quilava, Flamethrower"

"Steelix, Sandstorm."

"Geodude, Earthquake."

As the attacks fired in, Magneton simply floated above everything, before looking down at the battling Pokémon, whilst Jasmine simply smiled. As the smoke cleared, Steelix was gone and Quilava and Geodude were looking around for him, the only evidence being a hole in the ground.

"Thunder." The gym leader stated calmly.

"Geodude intercept it!"

"Quilava, Flamethrower"

As Magneton fired a Thunder down at the two Pokémon, Geodude was able to get in the way and took virtually no damage, whilst Quilava's Flamethrower caught the Magnet Pokémon off-guard. Magneton fell towards the ground, but Jasmine's smile was unshaken.

"Now Steelix."

The Iron Snake Pokémon surged out from underground, wrapping his tail around Magneton and flinging his partner at Quilava, whilst throwing himself at Geodude. Magneton was sparkling with electricity as he closed in on the Volcano Pokémon. As the two Pokémon reached their targets there were explosions. As the smoke cleared, Sam and Mellanie could be seen to be grinning along with their Pokémon. Magneton was lying on the ground, clearly knocked out, whilst Steelix had been sent reeling back across the room. For the first time in the battle, Jasmine's smile was wiped from her face.

"How the…"

"Quilava, Flamethrower."

"Geodude, Stone Edge."

Steelix roared in pain as the two attacks smashed into it, and crashed back to the ground. As he reared his head once again, his two opponents fired their attacks once more. This time there was no recovery, and Steelix lay on the ground knocked out as well. Jasmine shakily recalled both of her Pokémon, before moving out across the battlefield to shake her opponent's hands. Sam and Mellanie were grinning together,

"What happened?" Jasmine finally asked.

"Simple." Sam replied. "When you attacked, Quilava waited until Magneton was close then used Eruption. Magneton wasn't able to stand up to that kind of firepower, so was knocked out."

"And when Steelix tried to hit Geodude, Geodude dodged and then used Stone Edge to knock him back."

Jasmine was taken aback at the simple strategy that was so brutally effective. Laughing lightly, she handed the pair of them Mineral Badges, commenting that she had clearly underestimated them. Sam and Mellanie thanked her, before heading out of the Gym, and towards the port for a ferry to Cianwood City.

* * *

Ash Ketchum stood watching his Pokémon. They were training hard once again, as they invariably did in the aftermath of something that had caused them to miss training days. And there had been a lot of those in the last two weeks. The removal of Cynthia a week ago had made Ash's job as Pokémon Master far, far harder. He knew that he needed a replacement for her, but he wasn't sure who. Cynthia was the best choice, and he knew that. Yet her removal had been simple as far as he was concerned. The reasons he had given were sufficient, but there were more; she couldn't get away with challenging him. That would set a terrible precedent. He had to be the authority that was unquestionable in public. He had thought that she understood that, but she had not. And so she was replaced.

Espeon, firing Psybeams at Alakazam who was manipulating them and sending them back, started to intrude on his thoughts. She had been there when he had fired Cynthia. She had read the Sinnoh Champions mind, and that had shown Ash that whilst Cynthia did show remorse for her actions, she had been planning to ignore him all along. That was unacceptable. He hoped that Cynthia did understand that. However, he also hoped that somebody would defeat her soon; he didn't want a disgruntled Champion, because that would instantly cause him to have a whole regions Elite Four unhappy as well. That did not fit into the Pokémon League Ash was trying to create. He remembered when he had first set out on his journey, he had been utterly clueless. He now knew that if he had the chance for proper guidance by somebody who he was forced to respect, he might have listened. Somebody beating him would be enough to give most kids respect for that person. As a result, the Gym Leaders were the perfect candidates for what he felt was needed; a group of people who were easy to get in contact with and yet skilled enough to teach. There had been a few exceptions, and Ash had simply replaced them. He knew that he could have given them some warning, but equally that wasn't good enough for him. His Pokémon knew what he expected; nothing less than the absolute best. The new Gym Leaders were all strong trainers and all reliable. And crucially, they owed him because he gave them their jobs. They would never go against him, never oppose his schemes unless they were proven to be bad. And that was what he needed. He didn't need his every move questioned, but he did appreciate that having people watch him wasn't necessarily a bad idea.

Ash turned and strode into the midst of his Pokémon. He wanted to train himself, and there was a perfect candidate. Machamp was a Pokémon that Ash enjoyed sparring with. The Superpower Pokémon was a fearsome opponent, especially since with his four arms he had an edge over Ash. Yet when Ash used his aura, he was stronger, and so used that to his advantage; the only real advantage that he actually had. Machamp was just as quick as Ash, and as good at recovering. They tended to be quite close, although Machamp had never actually beaten Ash. As Ash stopped in front of Machamp, the Pokémons eyes lit up. He always enjoyed sparring against his trainer. Respect for strength was something that he had always had, and Machamp had always struggled to work out why he could never beat this human.

Adopting a fighting stance in front of his Pokémon, Ash leapt forwards, crashing his fist down. Machamp caught the fist in one hand, and the arm in two more, managing to stop it, and hold Ash in the air, until the human's body rotated in the air, causing him to come down on the Pokémon. Both rolled away, and threw themselves at each other once again.

After a few minutes, Machamp was struggling to keep up. Ash hadn't realized it, but the agitation he had felt since he had removed Cynthia, the fear that he was going to be forced into a desk role, organizing things and not able to complete his planned revitalization of the Pokémon League, all of it was causing him to move faster, hit harder and simply be stronger. Ash almost never used his aura up to full strength, and he still wasn't here, but he was definitely using more than usual. The Pokémon around the sparring pair were in awe, both of their trainer and Machamp. None of them had ever had the chance to watch him fight like this, although he had done it before when he fought alongside them. Machamp was as supremely fit as the rest of the Pokémon, but even so, the pace of the fight and the numerous impacts he had received had caused him to slow just slightly. That was all that Ash needed, as he ducked under an arm, with one of his, parried another one, and then leapt up, smashing his arm across Machamps chest. The Superpower Pokémon fell to the ground, and rolled to get up. Ash watching could see that Machamp had taken damage, but still wanted to continue. Despite this he simply stepped back. The bout was over. The other Pokémon returned to their training and Ash stepped up to Machamp, using his aura to quickly heal the Pokémons wounds. Machamp nodded his thanks, bowed to Ash which was returned and then turned to face Aggron in a training bout. Ash, smiling as he walked back through his Pokémon returned to his previous vantage point, but this time Espeon was at his side.

"_What's wrong?"_ The Sun Pokémon asked. "_You've never fought like that before."_

Ash looked down at his Pokémon. "Don't worry Espeon; it won't happen again for a while. I was just thinking about a few things and so lost focus for a bit. Machamp will be fine; I think he rather enjoyed it."

Espeon just looked at her trainer, causing him to smile slightly. "I'm fine now. I have a couple of months at least until I can realistically make more changes, so I will wait. In fact, I will wait until after the Johto League, I will be able to make a speech highlighting any further changes I want to make to the Pokémon League. Until then, I guess it will just be business as usual."

Still unconvinced, Espeon looked at her trainer, and then padded away. The Sun Pokémon was annoyed as she started training once again. She wanted to see Ash redevelop his friendships, but he never had. He had just pushed away the only human he had ever allowed close in the time that she knew him. Espeon knew that she had to try to get him to forgive Cynthia, but also knew that even if he did, he would never take her back in the same role. At most she could be a complete subordinate, with none of the autonomy that she had enjoyed, and Espeon knew that would never happen.

* * *

Steven strolled into Lance's office, receiving an irritated grin from the Dragon Master. It was something that Steven took great delight in doing, irritating his colleague. Lance gestured to the chair in front of him, before putting down the form in front of him.

"Steven. What can I do for you? I mean, with two regions to your one, I'm so much busier than you…"

Steven kept his face perfectly level. "Of course Lance, you have to work hard. I feel for you, I really do." Steven looked Lance in the eye before he cracked up, laughing. Lance, watching him, let out a chuckle.

"As much as I love your sense of humor Steven, is there anything I can actually do for you?" Lance asked. "Only it's that I'm nearly a week behind on the preparations for the Johto League, thanks to the events in Goldenrod. I'm trying to catch up."

Steven leant forwards, suddenly serious. "It's about Goldenrod I wanted to talk to you about" the Hoenn Champion said, suddenly serious. "More importantly, 'Champions' reaction to it. Cynthia has been sent back to Sinnoh." Lance looked up sharply, causing Steven to nod before continuing. "I thought you might not have found out, given your work load. 'Champion' said that the reason was an internal one, in the press conference."

"Slow down." Lance said. "Press conference? 'Champion' doesn't give those."

"He did for this. It's caused quite a stir. As long as Cynthia remained in place, she was giving tacit approval for the changes across the regions. That was enough to convince the waverers that what he was doing was right. His changes, such as replacing Gym Leaders have caused issues, but not enough for there to be massive opposition. The problem will come if there are any more changes, without Cynthia there will be no more goodwill following from her popularity. I foresee an increase in unrest."

Lance groaned. "Just what we need."

"Only if he makes any mistakes. Thus far he's been pretty good." Steven said.

"I know. Anyway, do we know what she was fired for?"

"I haven't been able to speak to her. I think it must have been more than we thought. 'Champion' wouldn't fire her for just disobeying him. Would he?"

"I have no idea Steven." Lance said. "I barely know him. In fact, I'm not sure anybody really knows him."

"Agreed." Steven said. "I'm going to be around for the next few weeks, there isn't much happening in Hoenn at the moment. If you need any help organizing, shout." And with that, the Hoenn Champion got up and left, leaving Lance to his contemplation of the fate of their third colleague.

* * *

Misty and Gary reached Professor Oaks lab, walking through the entrance to be greeted by the elderly Professor. As they moved through the lab, they realized that quite a few people were around in Pallet; May and Drew walked in a few minutes later with Delia Ketchum and Caroline Maple, whilst James was with Tracey from the reserve.

"So what brings you two back to Pallet?" Tracey asked, whilst Delia was busy getting various drinks for all the guests.

"Misty's considering entering the Johto League." Gary answered. "I thought we should drop in before we headed off."

"Really?" May asked from across the room. "You're going to head across Johto?" A nod from Misty confirmed it. "Mind if Drew and I travel with you to the region? I'm going to enter the contests there."

"Aren't you a bit late for the Grand Festival?" Gary asked. "I mean, will you be able to get all the ribbon you need?"

May smiled. "Nope. But Dawn isn't in this season, so it means I'll get a chance to get some practice in before I go up against her."

"Dawn? You're finally going to challenge her?"

"Yep." May said, with a wide smile. "Drew and I think that some competition might do her some good."

This brought a smile from Misty; she knew just how irritated people had been getting at Dawn's bragging. The bluenette did have an excuse, having won several Grand Festivals without a defeat, but even so, it was enough to drive people crazy. Almost as bad as Max, somebody whom she was glad wasn't here.

Caroline walked back in carrying a cup of tea, and Misty looked curiously at her.

"Caroline, where's Norman? Wasn't he staying in Pallet?"

Caroline had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "He is still maintaining that he was done an injustice by 'Champion'. He has gone to try to find somebody who he thinks might agree with him. This drew a curious look from Drew, which she then clarified. "He's gone to Sinnoh, to try to get an audience with Cynthia. He feels that she will sympathize."

Misty raised an eyebrow. "And, if you don't mind me asking, what are your views?"

"I think I owe May an apology." She turned to her daughter. "You tried to warn me, but I didn't want to listen. Since then, I've had a chance to think, and accept it. Norman is still trying to get over that."

May smiled at her mother. Whilst she knew that there had been a change of heart there, it was still good to hear it.

James strolled in to the room with Tracey, and smiled at the gathering there. "I didn't realize that a whole year had gone around, is it another full reunion?" he said jokingly. "We should've invited Jessie."

"How's the store in Goldenrod going for her?" Misty asked.

"Alright. I'm thinking of heading over to visit soon."

"Why don't you come to Johto with us?" Gary offered. "Misty, May, Drew and I are all heading over. Misty wants to challenge the Gyms whilst May is heading for contests."

"It'll be just like old times." May said with a grin. "You could even grab a balloon and try stealing Pikachu again."

The mention of his name caused the little Pokémon to sit up from Misty's lap, and glare at May, causing her to chuckle lightly. James was watching with a careful eye.

"I don't think so. Pichu would murder me if I tried. You want to see him Pikachu?" The mouse's nod was all the confirmation James needed to realize his Pokémon. The two of them dashed off, outside ignoring James call to try to avoid breaking things. Misty smiled to see Pikachu so excited, she knew that his life wasn't exactly the most interesting.

"James, where's Meowth?" Gary asked.

"With your grandfather, doing some translating. He says he enjoys it."

"Fair enough. So, do you want to come with us to Johto?"

"Why not. I'll stay with you till you reach Goldenrod, and come and watch you at the Johto League. Just for once I won't have to be selling things in the crowd!"

Misty burst out laughing. "I can't believe you used to do that, you could have just watched like normal people."

"Yeah, but we had to pay for all of Meowths machines somehow!"

"We wouldn't have had to keep paying for them if you hadn't kept on blowing 'em up" a voice came through the open door, as Meowth and Professor Oak stepped through. "By the way James, Pichu is about to get thrashed again."

James smiled and got to his feet. "I'm going to go and watch."

Misty got to her feet as well. "I'm going to watch. If Pikachu is going to be battling with me, I want to see how he chooses to fight."

The group followed Misty and James outside to where the two electric types were facing off against each other. James stood behind his Pichu, but caught sight of Misty shaking her head. "Leave them James. Let them fight by themselves."

Pikachu smirked across the field at Pichu. The smaller electric Pokémon was powerful; Pikachu did have to admit that. But then he had been trained by Pikachu himself. Pikachu had taught him new moves and the like. Yet despite this, both Pokémon knew that Pichu couldn't compete with Pikachu. Pikachu had the greater endurance, and power.

Pikachu tested his opponent with a Thunderbolt that Pichu simply dodged. Pikachu smirked, and then fired another two attacks, both of which were dodged. Pichu grinned at Pikachu, and then charged forwards. Pikachu waited, and then dodged at the last second, swinging an Iron Tail at Pichu which sent the smaller Pokémon skidding back across the battlefield. Pichu picked himself up and then fired his own electrical attack at Pikachu. As the two exchanged attacks, the gang watched. As the battle wore on, Pichu began to tire, and James eventually stepped in to end it. Pichu looked exhausted, whilst Pikachu simply grinned at his opponent. After his friend had recovered, Pikachu would talk through the battle with him once again, and discuss how to improve. It was their favorite part of sparring.

The following day, the group headed off towards Johto. Misty to win badges, and May to win ribbons. As Misty walked she remembered the first time she had done the trek; they had been on foot, with Ash, exploring and enjoying the journey. Now, years on, they moved far, far quicker. They had decided against the Magnet train, but that didn't mean that they couldn't use easier modes of transport than foot. Gary was grinning as he drove along.

"Why are you so happy?" Misty asked.

"It's good to be travelling again?" Gary said with a grin, but Misty shook her head.

"I know you better than that Gary Oak." She said. "Why are you so happy?"

"The irony." Gary chuckled. "I never thought I would be driving you along."

Misty looked at him, and he just grinned at her. She rolled her eyes, and looked out of the window.

"How far are we taking the car?" James asked.

"We'll leave it with Professor Rose at the lab in New Bark Town. We can go on foot to Violet City, and from there we'll see. I think the train network might be open, we could use that."

"Open?" Misty's attention was drawn back into the car. "I thought…"

"Nah, apparently it's ready to be opened, so they are accepting passengers." Gary said, before Misty could give away anything about the last time they had been on a train. Misty looked at him for a moment, before going back to looking out of the window. After some hours driving, they reached the top of a hill, where Gary brought the car to a stop, much to the surprise of the passengers.

"Gary, why have we stopped?" Drew asked.

"For Misty" came the simple answer, which drew a glare from the red-head.

"What do you mean for me?" Misty snapped. "I don't remember asking you to stop."

"No, you're right, you didn't ask me Red." Gary said smirking at his girlfriend. "Just look over the hill"

Misty turned and looked. In front of her she saw a sign which read 'New Bark Town'. She did a double take. It had been years since she saw that sign. Ten years. The last time she had been stood there, she had been with Ash and Brock, as they first started their first trip through Johto. Misty looked beyond it, and there was a town. She felt the memories well up inside her. Pikachu leaped off shoulder, to get a good view of the path. Just like Misty he remembered there trip there, with the dense, naive young trainer that they had both loved. Some memories time could never replace. Drew, May, James, and Meowth stood watching, slightly bemused. Misty felt an arm around her and turned to see Gary.

"It's ok Misty. We all miss him as well." Gary said.

Misty looked at him. "Thanks Gary." She said, her mood picking up once again. "And for this. It means a lot." She turned to the rest of the group. "Let's go get registered, right May?"

The brunette nodded, and the group got back into the car, and headed into the town. Pikachu was still watching the spot sadly. He would never forget his trainer. In addition to his other reasons, he did acknowledge one other reason he wanted to enter the Johto League. He wanted to do what Ash never did; win.


	15. Chapter 15

Cynthia was sat behind her desk when the phone rang.

"Cynthia?" It was her receptionist. "There is somebody here to see you. Norman Maple, ex-Gym Leader."

Cynthia was surprised. Norman coming all the way to Sinnoh to see her? She didn't understand why. What could she have that he might want. He should know that she wouldn't try to give him a Gym; her place in Indigo had been tacit approval of 'Champions' actions. She could just have him sent away, she had plenty to do. Yet, then she would never know what he wanted. Making a decision, Cynthia spoke into the mouthpiece.

"Send him up."

The door opened, and Norman was there. He walked in, and took the proffered seat, before looking at Cynthia. The Sinnoh Champion didn't say anything at first, merely studied him. The man in front of her looked worn, like he had been overworked. Stress was written into his face. Cynthia didn't need to ask to know what caused that. Yet as he bore her gaze there was still a power in him, he had been tried by the recent events, but not broken.

"What can I do for you then Mr Maple?" she finally asked.

"I want your help" he said. "I want to be able to run a gym again."

"You know I can't give you that." Cynthia said calmly. "I've been removed from the Pokémon Masters staff, and there are no free gyms in Sinnoh, the new limits to my authority. But you know that. So why did you come to me?"

"Because you will understand." Norman said. "'Champion' is in the wrong from what he is doing. Replacing anybody who displeases him is not the way to run a nation."

"I will understand?" Cynthia asked.

"You were replaced as well." Norman said. "You have been on the receiving end of his actions."

Cynthia surveyed the man in front of her. In the time since she had reached Sinnoh, she had been able to conduct more research into the Pokémon Master. She had tracked down more records of aura users, since that was the only thing that she had found that could explain his eyes. There hadn't been a recorded sighting for centuries, but there was no conclusive evidence that they had died out. She had also found stories of what they could do, healing Pokémon and blocking attacks. All seemed similar to what 'Champion' could do. As a result, she had concluded that he was an aura-user. Such an ability made her inherently wary of the man, and now Norman seemed to be encouraging her to take a stance opposing his commands, something which had cost her a great deal when she did it first time.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Simple." Norman said. "We would have to have him replaced as Pokémon Master."

Cynthia stared at Norman like he had just suggested they create a planet. She had seen first-hand how powerful the man's Pokémon were, as well as how flawless his strategies. Defeating him was simply impossible to consider.

"Norman." Cynthia said. "You know that I was considered the best in a generation and that I didn't even beat one of his Pokémon? How do you suggest we beat all six?"

Norman's face fell. "I was hoping you might have an idea" he said sadly. "I've faced his Charizard as well, it took out two of my strongest in a single attack. I can't think of anything that could stand against it."

Cynthia looked sympathetic. "I do understand where you are coming from Norman, and believe me, I know that I would benefit from having him replaced. But there is just no way that we can defeat him. He is too strong a trainer. And even if there were a way, I'm not sure that I would do it. What he has done to the Pokémon League has completely revolutionized it. Any trainer can now get better by simply training at one of the gyms. It's like he has taken my vision for the Pokémon League and forced it through in a few months, when I thought it would take years to get to where we are."

"Thank you for seeing me, Cynthia." Norman said, standing up. "It's a shame that we can't find a way to agree."

Cynthia watched the former gym leader leave the room, with trepidation. There was a lot of anger there and Cynthia wasn't sure how he would deal with it. She hoped he remained rational; there was no reason 'Champion' had to be replaced. Although, as she reminded herself; there was no reason 'Champion' had to be replaced _yet_. So far what he had done was strengthening the league, but if that changed, Cynthia knew that she might have to initiate action. She would be unable to challenge him herself, it wasn't against tradition for a previous Pokémon Master to attempt to take the position once again. What she had to do, was find somebody who could, if it was required. An idea crossed her mind, and she stood up, striding out of her office. She needed somewhere private for this.

* * *

The group had reached Cherrygrove City and knew May's first contest was a few days away. Since Misty wanted to move as quickly to get her badges, given that she only had a few weeks until the closing time for the Johto League, James, Gary and her were planning on heading off in the morning. They had gotten rooms in the Pokémon Center and headed out for a last night together before they split in the morning. After having dinner, the group had wandered along the coast, chatting quietly. Eventually they settled down looking out across the sea, in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, merely one among friends. After a while James and Meowth exchanged looks and excused themselves, saying that they were going to head off into the city by themselves. As they walked off, they were chuckling that the scene was far too romantic for the two of them. Walking back into the city, James decided to take the opportunity to spend some time with his Pokémon and so released them from their Pokéballs. As he lay down against a tree, in his preferred comfortable way, his Pokémon played around him in the twilight. James smiled as he lay there, happy with how his life turned out in the end.

Misty and Gary wandered off shortly afterwards, leaving May and Drew together looking out over the waves. May was resting on Drew and he was absent-mindedly playing with her hair.

"Drew" May asked, continuing after she got a grunt of acknowledgement from the green-haired boy. "Thank you for letting me re-join contests. I know that you were enjoying the break, so it means a lot."

Drew just smiled. "It's fine May. I'm looking forward to watching you. And it will give us a reason to make Dawn shut up."

"But still I just want to say thank you. Are you sure you don't want to do the same?"

"I don't want to compete against you." Drew answered.

Surprised May sat up, before turning around to look at her boyfriend. "What do you mean? You used to compete against me all the time. You were really good."

Drew laughed lightly. "I only competed because I wanted an excuse to be around you. A rival is better than not knowing you at all. Now I have you, I have no reason to do so. Although, if you start doing badly…" he said as a mock threat, that drew a giggle from May.

"I won't." she promised. "Next season I will be in the Grand Festival final."

"Only in the final?" Drew said with a smirk. "Not winning?"

May lay back down, resting her head on Drew's chest. "I don't want to promise what I can't definitely do. And Dawn's good…"

Drew just chuckled once again. "And yet if you get that far, I'll be proud. You'll be great May. This will be good for both of us."

Misty sat next to Gary on a park bench. Pikachu had wandered off, and Misty trusted him enough not to worry. Gary had noted her subdued attitude all night, and was simply waiting. He knew that she would talk about it eventually, and he wasn't proved wrong.

"It's going to be a long few weeks." Misty said quietly. "I mean… challenging gyms… competing in leagues… it's what Ash did… Doing it without him… it doesn't feel right…"

Gary knew exactly how Misty felt. If he had been told ten years ago, just before his own Johto League competition that he would be here now, he would have predicted that he would be coming to watch Ash. After he had been beaten by his rival, Gary remembered had felt guilty about how he treated him. He had never been particularly good at showing respect, and he had respected Ash. The defeat made him realize that Ash not only deserved his respect for being a strong trainer, that Ash was also a stronger trainer than Gary himself. Gary had followed his old friends progress through Hoenn and Sinnoh closely. Gary remembered watching Ash's last battle in the Sinnoh League, where he fought against Tobias and his legendaries. Gary had been in awe of how far his rival had come, to beat not one, but two legendaries in battle was stunning. Ever since that day, Gary had a new respect for Pikachu. Whilst he had never dismissed the little electric mouse, he hadn't realized quite how powerful he was. Gary wanted nothing more than to discuss how Pikachu had become so powerful, but Ash hadn't been around for long enough. At the end of everything, Gary just missed his old friend. When he first became a trainer he lost that friendship as it turned into a rivalry, and he had never managed to get it back to what it had been. But travelling for a league without Ash… that was just wrong. Yes, Gary could definitely relate to how Misty was feeling.

"I always knew that one day, if I wanted to truly become the most powerful Water trainer, I would probably have had to face him at some point. I mean he was so determined to be the best, I just assumed he would get there…" Misty continued. "When Pikachu said he was dead, I couldn't believe it. I always assumed that he would burst back into our lives, grinning away… but he never did. And he would never leave Pikachu… Gary… what if he is actually gone? I mean… not even coming home for seven years?"

Gary moved across the bench and put his arms around Misty, drawing her close. Since they had set off, he knew that this was coming. The only times that Misty had gone on a journey to challenge gyms had been with Ash. Come to think of it, the only times he had gone to gyms had been as Ash's rival. This would affect them both. As they sat there, they mourned their friend. Gary had accepted that Ash wasn't coming back, as had many of the group, but he knew that Misty had still clung to the hope that he would. He knew Brock was similar. But then they had both known him the longest, except for Gary. Misty saw Ash as her best friend, whilst Brock saw him as a little brother. The years Brock had spent with Ash on his journeys had made the doctor unable to accept the loss of his friend. Misty was just too stubborn to accept it. Gary knew that Delia had also refused to accept that her son was coming back. She always kept his room perfect, for when he returned to her. Gary also knew that without any closure, Delia would never accept it. Misty, it seemed was just about coming to terms with it, and as he sat there, holding his girlfriend, he could feel the sobs that wracked her body. He knew how she felt. After all, he had gone through the same thing.

* * *

Agent walked into the room, to be met by the face of his boss once again. Giovanni was sat behind a desk, the usual arrays of screens in front of him. Agent was unsure of what to make of this meeting. He knew he had done well; he had managed to save most of Team Rocket. The only ones that been lost were the recruits at the training bases. Agent hadn't bothered to try to save them; they were replaceable.

"Firstly, I must congratulate you." Giovanni said. "You have done well since the attack." Agent acknowledged this praise with a bowed head, waiting for the real reason he had been summoned. "I have a new assignment for you. The progress on the base no longer requires your supervision, so you can be put to matters that are better suited to your talents. Before I do though, you have an explanation to offer."

Behind Giovanni a screen lit up. On it was the Pokémon Master, 'Champion' standing at a press conference. Agent groaned inwardly. He knew this was coming. He was surprised at how he had misjudged the Pokémon Master; he had never made a mistake like that before.

"As you can see, the man you assured me was 'broken' is quite the opposite." Giovanni said icily. "He has managed to keep the operation in Goldenrod quiet; something that is quite extraordinary given the number of trainers involved."

"Sir, when I left him, he was a whimpering wreck." Agent said, his eyes fixed on a point to the side of Giovanni's head. "I never believed that he would be able to recover like this, let alone be able to take control like he has. I can only assume that he was faking."

Giovanni looked at Agent, a look of surprise flashing across his usually emotionless face. "Faking?"

"Yes Sir. Faking. I did feel that somebody like 'Champion' would take longer to crack than he did. I just assumed in the immediate afterwards that the time spent in the cell had taken more from him that we believed. With his rapid recovery, I have a different theory."

Giovanni made a steeple with his fingers, looking at his subordinate. "Go on."

"You Sir. He was faking to get to you. We know that 'Champions' Pokémon were in the base when it was being attacked. And we know that they had teleported out during his attack. My theory is that he allowed himself to get captured. At some point you would personally visit a prisoner such as him. Logically at that time, his Pokémon would teleport back in and capture you. I must admit, a plan that I can only admire in its audacity."

Giovanni looked stunned. Everything his subordinate said made sense. Yet it was something he would have fallen for. In fact, he very nearly had. He had planned to go to his prisoner when he had been broken by Agent. If he had… The crime boss growled in anger. He had been played for a fool by a master. In front of him, Agent remained impassive, looking at the point over his boss's shoulder once again.

"How did he know?" Giovanni growled.

"My guess sir, is that he planned for both eventualities. If there hadn't been a trap, he would have had a different plan."

"And he knew he would be tortured did he?" Giovanni snapped, his anger mounting.

"Sir, I don't know. I'm just saying what I think" Agent said.

"Very well. You now have two tasks. One; track down Mewtwo. I want him here once again. He is too valuable to lose." Agent nodded quickly. "And secondly, find out everything you can about the Pokémon Master. I want to know how he could endure the wounds he did and be fully active. And I want confirmation of who he is. Look at trainers who have vanished over the last decade, particularly highly placed ones."

Agent nodded again. "Yes Sir. I'll get on it." He turned and headed out of the room, leaving Giovanni to his contemplation as to how close he had come to being captured. He now knew that he could never take the same risk again. Next time he encountered 'Champion' he had to flee instantly. He had previously toyed with the idea of a stealthed airship, just like Hunter J had once had. He had the technology to build one, but had always shied away from it. Despite the difficulty in finding it, the ship still had a major weakness; there was no way out. Giovanni returned to his screens with one overriding desire burned across his mind. The Pokémon Master had to fall, there was no alternative. Not if he, Giovanni, was to survive.

* * *

Cynthia walked into the Sinnoh Elite Fours training area. None of the elites were there, but she wasn't here for them. She strode through the main rooms, into a room at the back. As she walked through the door, the Pokémon inside stood to face her.

"_Cynthia." _Mewtwo said. "_Thank you."_

Cynthia nodded her head in acknowledgement. "You asked for aid Mewtwo, I'm not the kind to turn you away. However, now I have time to hear the full story about why you need my help, do you mind?"

"_No. It is simple; I am in hiding from Team Rocket. They have repeatedly tried to capture me, and in the open I fear I won't be able to remain hidden forever. If I stay here, I know that I will be able to be safe until Team Rocket falls."_

"Until they fall? How long do you envision staying here?"

Cynthia felt almost amusement down the mental link. "_Last time he found them it took 'Champion' how long to locate their main base? I have confidence in him. He will take down Team Rocket for good."_

Cynthia looked curiously at Mewtwo. She suspected something, and had thought about how to act on it. "Mewtwo, what do you know about 'Champion'?" she asked.

"_Why?" _came the response.

"Simple question. I want to know as much as I can about him."

"_I don't know how much I can tell you. His privacy is of utmost import to him, I can't go against him like that."_

"Why not?" Cynthia pressed. "Trust me, having been fired by him, I'm hardly going to go running to him am I?"

"_You misunderstand. I owe him a great deal, my respect for his privacy is an extension of that debt."_

"But how would he find out?" Cynthia argued.

"_You mean he never knew things you thought he shouldn't?" _Mewtwo asked.

Cynthia bowed her head in defeat. Mewtwo was right, throughout her working relationship with him 'Champion' had managed to find out several things that she had hoped would remain hidden. James being at Indigo was one, and that had gotten her fired.

"Isn't there anything you can tell me about him?" Cynthia asked.

"_No." _Mewtwo said. "_He was already furious with me after Goldenrod, I don't want to incur his wrath."_

"But you're a legendary Pokémon…" Cynthia said, somewhat confused. "What can you fear from him?"

"_Haven't you noticed he is somewhat different?" _Mewtwo asked. "_I have seen the aftermath of people that get on the wrong side of him. What you saw in Goldenrod could have been so much worse."_

Cynthia shivered involuntarily. She had been shocked by what she saw. She couldn't imagine it being worse, yet somehow she didn't doubt Mewtwo. He didn't really seem the type to make things up. "What have you seen?" she tried one last time. "Surely he won't object to that?"

"_If only you knew." _Mewtwo said sadly. "_He's changed a lot over the years, I don't antagonize him anymore."_

"Changed?" Cynthia asked. "Mewtwo, you know who he is don't you?"

"_I do." _the Pokémon confirmed. "_But I won't tell you. I apologize for my inability to help Cynthia, but when I last spoke to him in Goldenrod, 'Champion' did give me some advice on dealing with humans. He said that every action has a reaction. If I tell you, I can't tell what the reaction will be. If you no longer wish to give me sanctuary, I will leave."_

Cynthia stared at him like he was insane. "Mewtwo, don't be stupid. My protection, such that it is, isn't dependent on you giving me information. You came to me needing help, and I am willing to provide. I am curious though; if you are seeking protection, why didn't you go to 'Champion'? You obviously understand his capabilities very well."

"_Simple."_ Mewtwo replied. "_I fear him."_

Cynthia was left stunned by the simple truth in the answer. Mewtwo retreated deeper into the room, and Cynthia turned, slowly walking out once again, thinking on what she had heard. It didn't make for particularly good thoughts, if a Pokémon of the power of Mewtwo feared the Pokémon Master.

* * *

Ash stood in front of his scouts, looking over them with a critical eye. Whilst the rest of the Pokémon trained, these three had rested, preparing for their next mission. They knew that Giovanni's escape meant that they would be sent out once again; Ash couldn't afford to leave somebody like that at large. His capture would bring a huge amount of positive media attention on his administration, something that could never hurt. Alakazam knew that his trainer was relying on him to succeed, and he had no intentions of letting Ash down. He never had.

Ash remembered when he first met Alakazam. He had meditated whilst his Pokémon trained around him. Espeon had stopped her training and started to focus on something, a lax in concentration that instantly brought Ash's attention. However, instead of being angry, Ash merely watched. As Espeon prowled around the clearing that they had trained in, until eventually Alakazam appeared in the middle of the clearing, firing a Psybeam at Espeon. Espeon had leapt out-of-the-way and retaliated with a Psychic attack. The other Pokémon had watched amused as the expression on Alakazam's face went from calm, to confused to worried, to shock as he realized the strength of his opponent. Alakazam had never met a Pokémon with a stronger Psychic then himself, and had never been detected like Espeon had detected him. After he had recovered from his mauling at the hands of the Sun Pokémon, he had asked to be trained. Espeon had at first refused, but Alakazam had persisted. When Espeon refused, Alakazam appealed to Ash, who promised to teach him what he could. After more than a month of this, Alakazam fought Espeon once again, this time pushing the Sun Pokémon so far, she agreed to train him. That was the closest Alakazam ever came to winning a fight between them, as Espeon had redoubled her own training in the aftermath. Ash was pleased for them; he knew that Espeon enjoyed having company with which she could communicate with her mind, and with Alakazam she could do so. He tried to do it himself, but he knew that it wasn't the same. Alakazam had felt indebted to Ash for helping him persuade Espeon that he was worth training, and as a result had no problems from joining the team.

It had been two years later that Alakazam was truly indebted to his trainer. Despite his strength, Alakazam had been run ragged in training. Whilst battling against a variety of Pokémon in a remote region, Alakazam had found that he was running out of strength. The Pokémon he had been battling, a very territorial group of Bug Pokémon had swarmed him, overwhelming him with sheer numbers. However, instead of stopping when Alakazam collapsed, they had kept attacking. Ash had been the one to notice the long absence of Alakazam, and he had gone looking for his Pokémon. When he found the Psi Pokémon, Alakazam was nearly at the point of death. Ash had simply stood over his body and thrown up an aura shield, shutting out the Bug Pokémon. As they battered furiously to get in, Ash then turned his shield into a surge of energy that had hit the entire swarm, sending them flying. The Bugs had retreated, deciding that this was a battle they didn't need to win, and Ash had been able to start to heal Alakazam, although he was exhausted from driving off the bugs. The two of them never spoke of those events. None of the other Pokémon even knew about it. Ash had gotten Alakazam into a sufficiently healthy state that none of the others ever realized what had happened. For that, Alakazam was grateful; he didn't want to appear weak to the other Pokémon. But it was the saving of his life that truly indebted him to his trainer. And for that trainer he would do anything he could to aid him. Spending a few weeks tracking across country was the least he could do.

The rest of the scouts stood proud in front of their trainer. Ninetales always took great delight in ruining her coat just before a mission, and cleaning it back to its usual pristine condition when she returned. She stood in front of Ash her once gleaming coat a mat of mud, looking like she had been abandoned. It seemed to work; the aura of strength that she gave off, coupled with her image was enough to persuade more than one Pokémon to look for a fight elsewhere and leave her to her business. She also claimed it meant she would never have to preen herself mid-mission, and could stay focused. Ash didn't mind, whatever she felt like doing was completely her business, he just found it unusual.

Beautifly was the last of the three. She was, unusually, totally and utterly unremarkable. That was her secret to her scouting; nobody ever gave her a second glance, because although Beautifly are beautiful Pokémon, they are hardly rare. Seeing one was not an unusual ocurance, so Beautifly could easily pass through almost any area, simply due to the fact that people never really gave her a second glance. It was a skill she used to great effect.

Eventually, Ash spoke.

"Giovanni is out there somewhere. What region, I do not know. I suspect somewhere remote. Your task is to find him."

All three of the scouts nodded their agreement. They knew that this was what they trained for, what they had spent so long working on their abilities for; so that when the time came, they could track down their trainers greatest enemy. Ash took one last look at them, before nodding his head and turning away. As he did so, Alakazam crossed his spoons and the trio of Pokémon vanished.

* * *

Cynthia stepped into the Elites training area once again. She walked straight through to the room at the back which Mewtwo had adopted as his own. When she reached it, the Genetic Pokémon stepped out from the shadows.

"_Cynthia."_

"Mewtwo. I have a suggestion that might interest you."

"_Go on."_

"'Champion' is furious because we ruined his plan to capture Giovanni, and he got away. If we could tell him where Giovanni is, he will be able to get another chance."

"_And you want me to track down Giovanni." _Mewtwo finished.

"Not quite." Cythia said with a small smile. "I'll be coming with you."

Mewtwos gaze fell on the Sinnoh Champion, who defiantly met his eyes. "_Are you sure?"_ Mewtwo asked.

"Yes. I need to end this."

"_You are aware that success in finding Giovanni will most likely not cause 'Champion' to reinstate your status as a teacher?_"

"I thought as much. I still think it is the right thing to do."

Mewtwo looked at the woman in front of him, feeling a new respect. He had never expected her to do this, to try to undo her mistake. He nodded once in agreement. Cynthia's face broke into a tight smile.

"I can leave when you're ready." Cynthia said. "There isn't really much for me here."

Mewtwo nodded, before floating towards the door. As he reached it, the door opened, and floated through, leaving Cynthia to hurry after him.

* * *

"SHE DID WHAT?"

The sound of Lance's voice echoed down the corridors of the Johto League, leaving the workers who heard cowering in fear. The man who was stood in front of him stood his ground, but cringed visibly at the anger on the face of his colleague.

"She went off to chase after Giovanni." Steven said. "I only found out because Lucian sent a message to me outside of the League so that 'Champion' doesn't find out. Completely deniable from both parties."

"Is she insane?" the Dragon Master raged. "'Champion' is going to kill her!"

"I don't think she cares..." Steven said sadly. "I tried to speak to her three days ago, just before she apparently left. It lasted about five seconds. She claimed that she didn't have time to talk. She has never done that before."

"But still!" Lance growled, throwing his hands up. "What is she thinking?"

"I don't know Lance." Steven replied, an edge to his voice now. "I told you because Lucian asked me to, we are the only ones outside of the Sinnoh Elite Four that know. If 'Champion' asks, we have no choice but to deny it." Lance nodded slowly, calming down, despite the anger still evident on his face. "Now, I am aware that you have a lot of work to do to get the Johto League ready. A month till it starts?"

Lance groaned, his anger being replaced by depression at his plight. "Less. I have no idea how we are going to be ready. The Gym Leaders have no idea how many people will actually be competing, the week that they had to take off has really thrown them. If we get through this without a disaster we've done well."

Steven nodded sagely. "Alright. I'll leave you to it. However, I'm bringing Sidney and Phoebe in from Hoenn. They will be available to you to help with the planning, I'm sure the extra manpower will be useful."

Lance looked at his colleague gratefully. "Thanks. When will they arrive?"

"A couple of days. I'll try and track down Cynthia as well, so you can take your mind off it."

Lance nodded gratefully, then the phone rang. He looked apologetically at Steven who simply smiled tiredly and left the room.

As he walked down the corridors of the Johto League administration building Steven started to think of how he could track down Cynthia. The obvious way would be to find Giovanni and he suspected that she wouldn't be particularly far away, but that wasn't really practical. He could hardly go and do what he was trying to stop Cynthia from doing. He briefly contemplated asking 'Champion' but then decided that wasn't really viable either. He didn't want Cynthia to get into even more trouble. His alternatives weren't particularly great, not if he wanted to try to keep her whole disappearance quiet. He had people he knew throughout the regions that he could trust, but he wasn't particularly confident. There was no way that Giovanni would have hidden himself anywhere other than as remote a place as possible, and as a result Cynthia would have to search those places. He could ask some people to keep an eye open, but he knew that if he heard a rumor he would have to investigate it himself. He groaned. Cynthia had really messed this up. Steven was no longer in any doubt that something had happened beyond what he knew about in the aftermath of the events in Goldenrod City. Regardless, with the Johto League looming, and Lance having to spend his entire time working on its organization, security and everything else relating to it, and Cynthia being the problem, Steven knew that he was going to have to try to find out.

Although… something crossed his mind. Some years back, he had seen a young trainer move through Hoenn and compete at the Hoenn League. That trainer had been in the company of May Maple, the daughter of one of his Gym Leaders and somebody who had caught the eye of the talent watchers that Wallace had in the contest circuit. Steven had been impressed by him, and had chosen to keep an eye on him. Ash Ketchum had reached the last four in the Sinnoh League and then vanished. Yet his opponent in the semi-final had been a trainer of legends. If Steven could find Tobias, he knew that there was a chance that the man would be able to challenge Cynthia. Such a challenge would force her return, enabling him to prevent her leaving once again. Steven couldn't believe that Cynthia would give everything up; she had to return if a challenge materialized. And there was little doubt that Tobias would be able to face the Elite Four with ease, he had won the Sinnoh League so was eligible. All Steven had to do was find him. Doing an abrupt turn, the Hoenn Champion strode back down the corridor to the office he had been assigned. He had some calls to make, and an alert to put out. Tobias would not be hard to track down. He hoped.

* * *

Alakazam growled in exhaustion. The scouts had pushed themselves hard over the last ten days, there was no denying that. They had spent time asking all the Pokémon that Ash had befriended through the years. In fact, Alakazam was shocked at the amount of effort that most of them would be willing to go to for his trainer, since he hadn't been there for the befriending of some of them. Regardless, he was grateful for the help, there was absolutely no way that the scouts could have covered the area they had without the help of these Pokémon. They had quickly visited all of their allies around Kanto, all of whom promised to search the areas around their home. That covered all the areas relatively near to human civilization. Alakazam wasn't hopeful of a result there, but they couldn't afford to miss anything out. He had then spent the next four days searching across the remoter regions of Kanto. There was nothing. Alakazam had returned to Mystery Island after six days of constant effort. The scouts were ready to drop when they arrived. Ninetales had made several pointed remarks about the lack of a break, but Alakazam had ignored them, knowing that they weren't meant negatively. All the scouts would do anything for Ash. As they had teleported onto the Island, Ash was waiting for them, Espeon and Meganium by his side. As soon as they reappeared, Ash and Meganium stepped forwards. A vine wrapped around Ninetales and Alakazam, whilst Beautifly fluttered onto one of Ash's hands, the other gripping Alakazam's shoulder firmly. Energy poured from the human and the Herb Pokémon into the scouts, restoring their strength. Ash and Meganium had saved up their strength for this moment, fully aware that it would take a lot to restore the strength to the scouts.

As the other two went to work, Espeon cast her mind out and meshed with Alakazam. In a few minutes the Psi Pokémon managed to fill her in on the six days of scouting. By the time Ash and Meganium had finished transferring energy, they looked ready to drop. Ash held himself up for a few moments whilst Alakazam looked him in the eye and teleported out. Espeon had then seen Ash sag visibly, whilst Meganium fell to the ground, utterly exhausted. Neither of them had wanted the scouts to see their exhaustion, they felt it would degrade the teams honor. She shook her head disapprovingly, but knew she would have done the same thing.

That had been four days ago. Alakazam was now in the wild areas between the recognized regions of Johto and Hoenn, meditating. The scouts had found that when they reached these remote areas, they found it far easier to scout. Pokémon did exist out here, but despite their strength they had learned to fear any Pokémon that trainers brought out there. It was almost unheard of for any trainer to spend extended time in the wild, yet Ash had taken his team there for an entire year. By the time that he had finished the work, they had traversed almost every area outside of the four regions. The Pokémon there had learned that these Pokémon were not ones to get on the wrong side of. This meant that they could scout without having to worry about anybody. Beautifly flew high into the sky and searched across huge areas. Alakazam would teleport Ninetales somewhere else and the Fox Pokémon would use her smell to hunt. Alakazam then teleported even further away, and used his psychic strength to search further. In this way, they could cover the remote areas in a mere two weeks, although they would need time on Mystery Island to recover. They knew that their trainer would be ready to enervate them when they returned, but if they had been out for three weeks, they would need some serious time to recover, despite what Ash could do. Alakazam was determined to have cleared the remote areas first. If they managed that, a few days recovery would be enough to see them through the last few regions, and track down Giovanni. And this time, all of Ash's team knew, there would be no escape. Giovanni would finally fall.

**A/N**

**Alright… Firstly, I think I should say sorry? This update is so late that I feel somewhat guilty. So sorry for not updating or actually putting up a chapter saying I wouldn't be able to do so for a while. My excuse? I've had some personal problems recently as well as a return to actually having to do things during the day, but the problems are nearly resolved so I'm hoping to settle into a system of a new chapter every week or so. Hopefully. I'm aiming to find a day that will be a regular update day, but I'll get back to you on that one…**

**Now, the usual authors note stuff. Thanks for those of you who have reviewed, and please keep doing so. As per the norm, I shall answer a few of your points…**

**Werewolf2300: Ash was 10. Cynthia is an adult with huge responsibilities. There is a difference! (Although as per, it is a valid point.)**

**Mr Anonymous who split his review in half: If you want to ask for tips on writing send me a PM (create an account for it, it's free!) I can't promise that I'll be any good, I've kinda just developed this writing style over some years, its quite natural for me. But I'll happily try. As for your suggestions, I accept criticism, it helps me to improve. I wasn't actually aware about the 'whilst' thing, but I reading back… I'll try to change that one. The 'Champion' thing is just a permanent reminder that 'Champion' isn't Ash's actual name, it's a pseudonym. And I'm so used to the quotation marks that I will probably keep typing them in half the time if I try to change it, so I'm afraid that one isn't going to change. But still, any more suggestions, I'll consider.**

**Noshadowone: Yes, you are indeed correct. Ash is put simply, an ass to many humans. I have often wondered the same thing about the dead children, but remember, there is a whole culture of letting kids go out. Taking them into a war is less acceptable. But it is very definitely a valid criticism. Ash was never meant to be Mr Perfect. (Also, to the others who mentioned similar stuff, this is also an answer to you, but noshadowone had his review posted last, so that's the one that I read last.)**

**s.k.f.f.f: I'm going to go against my own rule here and reveal the plot from later. Should Misty face Ash any time soon, trust me, there is absolutely no way that she will win. Equally, Pikachu will be one of the most powerful electric types around, but no match for Ash's Pokémon. So you're prayers have been answered. (I kinda like that, makes me feel like god!)**

**Also, as a general point, the timeline will be moving forwards slightly quicker now. If you hadn't managed to work it out, the Johto League is what we are heading towards, and whilst the majority of that will be skimmed, that is the next major 'event'. I'm aiming for one more chapter before we get there.**

**Alright, I think that's it from me this time around. Once again, I apologize for the huge delay in this chapter going up, I'm going to go out on a limb and aim for Sunday for the next chapter. I can't promise I'll meet that but I'll try… If I fail, I'll bust a gut to get it up by next Wednesday in a week. If I fail that I'll just be embarrassed. Till next time, keep reviewing, and try not to murder me should my update schedule collapse around me again. **


	16. Chapter 16

Agent stood on a hill overlooking on Lily of the Valley Island. His search for Mewtwo had brought him here. Agent had heard rumours of a very small blue tail of light that had ended here, and had come to investigate. And there was one person he knew would know. He walked down the hill, heading for the main administration block on the island. As he walked he thought about his other assignment. Find out who the Pokémon Master really was. It was galling really, to be so totally unable to work it out; he had never had a failure like this before. In the immediate aftermath of the assignment, Agent had found out as much as he could about the first time that Team Rocket was attacked. He hadn't been part of the organization then and so had to search through the sparse records from the time. The man who had attacked then had come from nowhere. There had been no warning, just a slaughter. Of all the Rockets in the headquarters underneath Viridian City, only one had escaped. Giovanni himself. The boss had sacrificed his organization in order to preserve himself. Four years on, and the man had struck again, only from a position of far greater power. That was all that Agent had to go on in uncovering his opponent's identity. Although he suspected that if he could get Mewtwo back under Rocket control, the Genetic Pokémon might have an answer. Agent clenched his fists in annoyance. He had thought he was the master of the game of subterfuge, but he had been made to look like a novice. The Pokémon Master had made all of Team Rocket look like a fool. And that annoyed Agent.

Reaching the main area of the Sinnoh League, he smiled at the lack of security. It was a common feature of the Pokémon League; anybody was able to walk into the reception of the administration block. Getting further however, would be a challenge. Thankfully he knew how to manage it.

"Good morning." Agent said warmly, flashing a smile at the receptionist as he walked through the doors. "I was wondering, is Cynthia in? I have urgent business to discuss with her."

The receptionists gaze flicked up to look into the relaxed, trusting face of Agent and she smiled back. "I'm sorry Sir, Miss Shirona is currently unavailable."

His smile never faltering, Agent looked into the eyes of the receptionist. "She will see me."

"No Sir, you don't understand. She isn't here. She left two weeks ago."

Agents mind started to process the news, whilst he continued to speak. "When will she be returning? This is urgent."

"She hasn't set a return date." The receptionist answered. "And I'm sorry, but I don't know where she was going. Is there anything else I can help you with Sir?"

"No, thank you. Enjoy your day." Agent turned on his heel and strode out of the building, his mind in turmoil. Where might she have gone? As he headed across the island, he was working away on another problem. A sharp turn to the left and he walked straight into another building, crossing the entrance hall purposefully. He passed two men and a woman, none of whom questioned him; he looked like he belonged. Agent finally reached a room filled with computers. There was a keycard on the door, and he pulled out a card that he had swiped from one of the men in the corridor. The door silently opened and he stepped in. There was a terminal at the back, and Agent strolled over to it. As the terminal booted up, a password request flashed up. Agent pulled out a hard-drive and was soon into the system. Accessed the video files for two weeks previously. Found that Cynthia had nothing in her office. Quickly scanned for anything else across the rest of the building. And froze. The entrance to the Elite Four training area was watched, although the training area itself wasn't under surveillance. But that didn't mean that Agent didn't recognize the figure that had followed Cynthia out of the training area. Mewtwo had come to Sinnoh, and tried to hide with Cynthia. And then she had vanished, and the Genetic Pokémon had never returned to the training area over the next few hours. Agents mind was working furiously to try to work out where Cynthia and Mewtwo might have run off to. It wasn't positive. In fact, there was a single reason he could think of quickly that those two would team up. Cynthia had been removed from her role in Indigo due to events in Goldenrod; the attack on the Rocket Headquarters that she ruined. Mewtwo hated Team Rocket. Agent quickly unplugged his hard-drive and strode out.

Outside the administration building, Agent pulled out his phone. It connected instantly, and Giovanni's voice came over.

"Yes Agent?"

"I think I know where Mewtwo might be going Sir."

"Where?" The excitement in the Rocket Boss' voice was clear.

"To you Sir. He left Lily of the Valley Island with Cynthia, and I'm not sure where else they might be going. My suggestion is that you plan for their arrival, and deal with them. Mewtwo can be recaptured, particularly with Cynthia as bait."

There was silence down the phone, before Giovanni's voice snapped out once again. "Get back here. I want you in charge of this."

"Yes Sir. I'll be back within the day." The call disconnected. Agent reached down to his belt and released a Pokémon, the beast appearing with a roar. Agent stroked its flank, before swinging himself up onto the Pokémons back. "Get us back old friend. Speed is of the essence." There was a rush of air as Salamance raced into the sky, leaving Agent to think as he flew into the wilderness.

* * *

Mewtwo stood on the top of the mountain, looking down. Cynthia was next to him. She had been impressed at the speed that Mewtwo had been able to find the Rockets, them having been gone for a mere three weeks, and they were in such a remote place. Cynthia doubted that even 'Champion' could find them here, although Mewtwo had dismissed the doubt. He just suspected it would take 'Champion' longer. Cynthia turned to Mewtwo, whose eyes were closed in thought.

"How did you find them out here? We are more than a hundred miles from the nearest region. This is beyond remote."

"_Agent set this up. He had several places to go, this was one of them. We've been checking the others."_

Agent. The man who Cynthia simply feared. She knew that he was the man in charge of most things; he got things done. He had been the one to set up the trap for 'Champion' and the one that who had led the attack to capture Mewtwo. If he was at the Rocket base, it was going to be far harder for her to succeed. But having come all this way, Cynthia was not going to give up. She was determined to make her mark on the battle between the Pokémon League and Team Rocket.

"_What do you plan to do now that we have found them?"_ Mewtwo asked.

"How many Rockets are there?"

"_A couple of hundred. There aren't as many as there usually would be, probably because this is a last resort."_

"How many could you defeat at once?"

"_A lot."_

_"_Enough?"

_"I don't know."_

Cynthia crouched down, looking down at the base. After three weeks of searching, she had gone beyond the idea that this was a simple search mission. Having found the Rockets, she wanted to be the one to end them. She knew that she shouldn't, her Pokémon weren't strong enough, and two hundred Rockets were far too many for her to face. She then looked over at her companion. Mewtwo was clearly tired. The Genetic Pokémon had barely had a break in the three weeks searching, travelling whilst she slept, carrying her. Although his strength was phenomenal, she still knew that he needed to take a break.

"We'll rest for tonight." Cynthia decided, speaking out loud. "A short distance away, so they don't know we are here. And by we, I mean both of us. You need a break Mewtwo."

Mewtwo looked at Cynthia tiredly, not bothering to argue. He had come this far, and wanted to end it. If he was able to defeat the Rockets tomorrow, he would jump at the opportunity. If he couldn't… He knew that he would have to stop Cynthia if she tried to attack when he didn't think it would work. He didn't want to have to explain to Ash how he had managed to get Cynthia captured. As Mewtwo nodded, he and Cynthia lifted from the ground, and flew very close to the ground, down the hill and around two more. Two miles from the base. Mewtwo hoped that would be enough. Cynthia nodded her head as they landed in a clearing, and she walked across to lean against a tree and lay against it. Within minutes the Sinnoh Champion was asleep.

Mewtwo took longer. Over the three weeks he had had a lot of time to think. In particular about Ash. The man who as a mere ten-year old boy managed to show him that friendships with Pokémon was possible. That to co-exist, for humans and Pokémon to live together was possible. A lesson that Mewtwo had never forgotten. When he allowed the clones to leave, he had done so knowing that they were able to survive. If they were captured by trainers, they would be well treated or leave. Mewtwo had seen Pokémon abandoned by their trainers and turn on them. Ash's Charizard was one example; as a Charmander he had been abandoned and when his trainer tried to take him back he had driven Damian off. When he had first met Ash, the boy had been vibrant, and enthusiastic, impulsive and caring. He was an enigma that Mewtwo had been completely unable to understand. When he saw the boy stand between him and Mew, taking the brunt of both attacks to stop the fighting, for the first time Mewtwo had felt guilt. An emotion he hadn't been used to.

He had wiped the memories of the trainers, and yet two years later, Ash appeared once again. On Mount Quena, Mewtwo met Ash who stood by him to fight against Giovanni. The boy who had potentially foregone the benefits to humanity of the pure waters on Mt. Quena to try to save Mewtwo's life. Mewtwo hadn't understood what drove him to do so; surely a human would care more for humans than for Pokémon? The answer that the then twelve-year old had given Mewtwo was simple. Why do you need a reason to help somebody in trouble? The rebuke was subtle, but it was there. Mewtwo once again felt guilt. It was strange how the only time he felt that emotion was around Ash.

And then time passed. Mewtwo withdrew into looking after the clones until they chose to leave, one at a time. When the last two, Meowth and Pikachu left, Mewtwo was left with little else to do. He had started to travel, to look at the world in a different light. Where he looked he saw Pokémon and humans living together happily. He realized that Ash had been right. Yet he couldn't find the trainer. He had wanted to see what came of the trainer that had changed him so much, but he had found him impossible to find. Until that day four years earlier. Mewtwo had been resting when he suddenly heard a fleet of helicopters arrive. At the time he had been a few hours outside of a major settlement and as such had been hesitant to use his most powerful attacks. As a result, he was unable to fight off the Rockets and they had captured him. And then Mewtwo had been freed. An entire convoy of vehicles not just destroyed but massacred. Mewtwo had looked at the bodies of the Rockets afterwards. Not all of them had been killed by Pokémon. Some of them been killed by a man. Mewtwo had seen Ash again that day. Ash, the boy who had cared for him, who had saved his life, had done so once again. And Mewtwo was forced to revise the philosophy he had wanted to follow. Clearly it wasn't simple enough to have to help everybody. Only those who deserved it. Give people what they deserve. Except Mewtwo didn't think that was really what Ash had meant on Mt. Quena. The Genetic Pokémon shook his head in frustration. Why couldn't things ever be simple? Why did this human have to be driving him mad, even after all this time?

Mewtwo growled quietly, and forced his thoughts elsewhere. He didn't want to have to deal with these thoughts now. He needed sleep. Mewtwo curled up underneath a tree, and closed his eyes. Sleep never was a particularly easy thing for him, but he suspected that this would be a long night ahead.

* * *

Agent led the team of men around the hill. All of them were dressed in black although with backpacks, moving silently. As they reached a path up into the forest, Agent held up a hand. The squad around him instantly stopped and dropped to one knee, instantly turning invisible in the gloom. Agent gestured to one man, and he moved forwards, creeping his way deeper into the woods. Just before he vanished, the man dropped to his knee again and another man moved up to join him. One at a time, the rest of the squad moved into the woods, not making any noise. As they reached a clearing, the squad dropped back to their knees. Agent peered into the gloom, and saw exactly what he was looking for.

Cynthia Shirona was asleep, resting against a tree, whilst a large purple Pokémon was lying across the clearing, the movements of its chest clearly showing that it was in a deep sleep. Agent smiled to himself, and then stood up, gesturing for his men to do the same. Mewtwo stirred slightly, spurring the squad into action. They all reached for Pokéballs, and threw them, releasing a variety of Pokémon. All of them except for Agent. He had burst into a sprint, straight across the clearing and reached Cynthia. Drawing a knife, he quickly cut the belt of Pokéballs from her waist and kicked it away, before hauling her up, the knife pressed into her throat. Mewtwo awoke from the roars of the released Pokémon, and floated straight into the air, his eyes glowing blue.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Agent's voice cut across the gloom. "If you try to resist us, Miss Shirona here will die."

Mewtwo's gaze turned towards Cynthia who was stirring in Agents arms, and saw the knife at her throat. Agent's other hand was pressed into her back.

"Yes Mewtwo. She has just been given the same thing that you always had in you; just we've improved it slightly. Normally the devices only have to be in contact with you. This improvement means that they can actually be stabbed into you. If my hand is removed from Miss Shirona back, the electric charge will kill her. Now, I suggest you land on the ground and look happy. Because I can assure you, you are never leaving Team Rocket again."

Mewtwo dropped down, and stepped towards Cynthia, causing Agent's eyebrows to raise and his arm to tense.

"_I will not resist." _Mewtwo's voice spoke into the heads of everybody present. "_I merely wish to see if she is alright."_

Agent nodded slightly, but made a backing off motion with his elbow. Mewtwo nodded and just looked into Cynthia's eyes. They were open now, but she was frozen with fear, and feeling the pain from the device that had been forcefully stabbed into her back. She nodded slightly, and Mewtwo seemed to sag. He stepped away, and held out his arms.

"_Very well. I will submit."_

Agent gestured to his team who stepped forwards and pulled out small pieces of metal from the bags on their back. Each was a part of the armor that Mewtwo wore when part of Team Rocket. The Genetic Pokémon winced as the armor clipped on and the electric charge he thought he was rid of forever came back, surging through his system. As the squad stepped back, Agent stepped forwards, still with his hand pressed into Cynthia's back.

"Good decision. Now, I think you can bring this squad back to the base you found earlier, and you can then return to this spot. I will meet you here, and we shall go and introduce your more… reliable side to Giovanni. I will put Miss Shirona somewhere safe, it wouldn't do for her to be somewhere you could actually try to rescue her."

Mewtwo nodded, feeling the embarrassment flood through him. He was meant to be the most powerful Pokémon in the world, and yet he had been taken by surprise. When he had eventually fallen asleep it was clearly such a deep sleep that his senses had been dulled. He had felt nothing. It was odd; he should have sensed their arrival. And now not only was he captured, but Cynthia as well. Mewtwo's eyes glowed, and he lifted into the air, taking the squad with him. As they flew into the air, Agent turned back to Cynthia.

"Right then. We need to find somewhere for you. I happen to know just the place…"

* * *

Steven was pacing around the office he had been assigned at the Silver Conference. His efforts to find Cynthia had been almost utterly useless; he had struggled to find Tobias, with only vague messages about his potential locations coming in. Lucian had also been running his own investigation, and had drawn a blank. Cynthia had vanished. That wasn't what was bothering Steven so much however. It was the state that Cynthia had been in just before she vanished. Steven knew that something was wrong, but he didn't know what. He wished he had persevered, tried harder to find out what had upset his colleague. Steven was the most senior of the three regional Champions; he felt a responsibility for them, despite the fact that they had all been young when they took the roles on. There hadn't been a change of regional champion for more than a decade, and he suspected that there wouldn't be either. Upcoming trainers tended to struggle to get past the Elite Fours even if they did win the regional leagues. They were still the best, aside from the Pokémon Master.

The thought of 'Champion' was enough to stop Steven pacing. With the Johto League only days away, he was due to arrive. In the last month, he had stayed out of the news completely, leaving Steven to wonder what he was doing. In the time since he first became Pokémon Master he had made so many changes that Steven and Lance had worried that it might have caused unrest. Yet at the point where people might have started to question what he was doing, he stopped and let the changes settle. Although, the fiasco with Team Rocket might have taken up his attention. Steven just didn't know; he had barely met the Pokémon Master, and when he had the man never gave anything away. It was infuriating.

There was a knock on the door, and Steven moved across to open it. Lance was stood there, the stress beginning to show. The extra people Steven had brought in from Hoenn had helped, and the Johto League was back on track. Unfortunately, the Hoenn staff had to go home, since they had their own league only a few months away and they had to prepare for it. Steven knew exactly what Lance was here for; they had agreed that this was something that they would have to do together. 'Champion' was due to arrive that morning. Their fear was that he would know about Cynthia. Being unaware of what had passed between the Pokémon Master and the head of the Sinnoh Elite Four, they didn't know how angry the man would be.

"He's a few minutes away." Lance said, before turning and heading towards the elevator. Steven followed quietly, thinking. As they reached the elevator, Lance swiped a card down it and it began to move upwards, stopping on the top floor. The doors opened, and the two regional Champions stepped out, looking out across the sky-line. A shape was in the distance, growing in size rapidly. As it came closer, 'Champions' Charizard began to take shape, before alighting on the roof with a grace that belied his size. The figure on the Pokémons back was dressed in black, the hat on his head still obscuring his face despite the wind from flying at the speed he had been. 'Champion' slid down from the dragons back and held out a Pokéball, recalling it. He then looked across the roof, at the two men who were waiting for him.

"Messrs. Waturu and Stone."

Lance and Steven looked at each other, before Lance stepped forwards. "It's a pleasure to have you here 'Champion'. I presume you will be watching the entire tournament?"

"Yes. Mr. Stone, may I enquire about your presence?"

"I was here to give Lance support for the Johto League. It's been hard work to get it organized, so I've been helping."

'Champion' nodded. "And Miss Shirona?"

Lance and Steven were silent for a moment, before Lance tentatively answered. "Cynthia?"

"Yes. Where is she?"

"I would have thought in Sinnoh, I'm sure that she had a lot of work to do after her extended absence." Lance answered.

"I know she isn't there. In fact, I know where she has gone. I was wondering when you were planning on telling me that the leader of the Sinnoh Elite Four had headed out, ignored her responsibilities and gone off chasing Team Rocket?" 'Champion' said, his voice still completely emotionless, but managing to send a chill down the backs of the two men in front of him. "I would have thought that one of you would have felt that this might be worth bringing to my attention. Clearly not."

Lance was clearly stunned, by the revelation that the Pokémon Master knew all about what had been going on. Steven however, was sharper, and quicker to respond.

"I didn't think that it was worth bothering you for Sir. She is a sufficiently powerful trainer that I was sure she could take care of herself."

"What you mean, Mr. Stone, was that you were hoping that your attempts to find her would be successful before I could find out." 'Champions' biting retort, delivered simply, was crushing. Neither Steven nor Lance knew what to say. "It might interest you to know that I'm merely disappointed in you." 'Champion' continued. "I understand why you did what you did; I just don't think you should have done it. I expect to be kept informed of important developments in future." Steven and Lance nodded. "As it is, I'm not surprised you didn't find her Steven. She isn't in any of the regions. Team Rocket has fled to well beyond those boundaries. After the Johto League I will be leading a team out into the wilderness to deal with them once and for all. You will both be required to remain here and ensure that the League remains strong in my absence."

'Champion' started walking, the two men instinctively falling into step behind him. The man's aura of command was invariably more than enough to make them follow. The trio disappeared into the building once again, leaving the rooftop empty once again.

* * *

Pikachu was really bored now. He had thought that travelling once again would be fun like it had been with Ash, but he had quickly realized that it wasn't to be. Misty and Gary didn't have time to take their time, rushing between cities was the only way for them to make the Johto League. And Misty was so much stronger than the Johto Gym Leaders that Pikachu hadn't been needed. Although he had enjoyed the battle in Azalea, Misty freaking out about bugs was still amusing, even after all of these years. Gary too had chuckled when Misty had seen the Pokémon in that particular gym, but the glare his girlfriend had given him had stopped him from going any further. It had become quite depressing really though. The Gym Leaders didn't stand a chance against Misty. Even Claire who had been grumbling about being beaten by a pair of kids, and wanted revenge, had been easily beaten. Pikachu hadn't really realized how strong a trainer Misty had become. He found himself thinking that there really was a chance that Misty might be able to do what he wanted; win the Johto League and meet 'Champion'. Pikachu wanted nothing more than to battle against him. Throughout the entire journey, the electric type had been trying to work out why he felt like something was wrong with the Pokémon Master. He had drawn a complete blank.

The car they were in was driving away from New Bark town once more. Pikachu was pleased to have this slightly quicker method of travelling, even if it did mean that the fun of the journey was taken away. After realizing how dull the whole journey was going to be for him, Pikachu just wanted it to be over. He wanted to be at the Silver Conference. Sat with his face pressed up against the window, Pikachu watched the country-side flash by. Misty and Gary were chatting about something pointless in the front of the car, Pikachu didn't really care. He just wanted to be battling once again. It had been so long since he got the thrill of fighting in front of a crowd, he was hoping that Misty would let him fight. Although she had told him that she was saving him as a surprise for when he was needed. That meant he wouldn't get any fighting. Pikachu pressed his face against the window with a bit more force. It was infuriating.

He had spent the month in training, making sure that he wouldn't let Misty down when she called on him. He remembered the lessons of 'Champion' from the training camp, and had tried to incorporate them into his own battling style. It was something that was very definitely a work in progress. Pikachu had always been able to dodge attacks, and speed was his speciality, but endurance? Taking a hit to return more? Or the power that the Pokémon Master's Charizard had shown? It humbled Pikachu to admit it, but he knew he was no match for that kind of power. If he was hit by it… But then, the electric mouse thought to himself; he had to be hit first. And if he was to face that Charizard, he was fairly sure that he could at least out pace it. Surely the dragon couldn't keep up with the speed of him?

Pikachu suddenly blinked. There were two people on a path off the side of the road, on the inside of the bend that Gary was driving around. Yet he recognized them. A young boy and a young girl. They were about a day's walk away from Mount Silver, and Pikachu wasn't sure where else they could be headed. Unless they were going to Kanto… Yet he recognized them. And when the penny dropped, Pikachu felt stupid. He knew exactly where he had seen them before.

"Pika! Pikachu!" he called into the car, causing Misty to break off her conversation to look at the electric-type.

"What is it Pikachu?" she asked.

"Pika, pika, chu, chu Pikachu." Pikachu replied, pointing out of the window. As the road began to straighten out, Misty squinted out of the back window, before realizing what Pikachu was pointing to.

"Gary, stop." She said. "I think that might be Sam and Mellanie out there."

As the car glided to a stop, Pikachu leapt out of the door as Misty opened it for him, and dashed away, leaving Misty to chase after him. As she finally caught up, she found the two youngsters looking very surprised whilst Pikachu stood in front of them.

"Do you reckon this Pikachu has a trainer Mel?" Sam was asking.

"I dunno… he certainly seems to want something." Mellanie answered. It was an understatement. Pikachu, always happy to see somebody that he recognized was bouncing in front of them. The years hadn't diminished the electric type's energy; he always had plenty for anything. Misty arrived behind him panting.

"Sorry. Pikachu recognized you and wanted to come and say hello."

Sam and Mellanie looked shocked. "Misty!" they said in unison.

"Sam and Mellanie!" The red-head replied with a broad grin. "I thought it was you. What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Headed for Mount Silver." Sam boasted. "We're going to compete in the Johto League."

"So you've both got eight badges?" Misty asked.

"Of course." Sam replied, flashing his eight, with Mellanie doing the same.

Misty thought about something a couple of days before. "You two aren't the pair of youngsters that beat Claire and drove her mad are you?" she asked.

Mellanie grinned. "I think she took offence to being beaten by somebody as small as me. It didn't seem natural."

Misty laughed. "I'm impressed. To get all eight badges in such a short space of time, as new trainers. Very impressive."

"Yeah. But it did mean that we couldn't capture many new Pokémon." Sam said slightly sadly. "We had to rush to make this Johto League. But there was no way we were going to wait a whole year for the next one; we'll travel more slowly after the League."

Misty nodded. It had been the best part of travelling, to enjoy taking time getting from place to place. It was good to see that some youngsters still appreciated that.

"Pika, Pikachu!" The little rodent didn't want to be forgotten, and was making it very clear.

Misty smiled down at him, and held out an arm for him to spring onto. "I don't think you ever really met Pikachu, did you?" she asked. "He is accompanying me."

"But I thought you were a water specialist?" blurted out Sam, before he saw the hurt cross Misty's face. "Oh. I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it." Misty said with a sad smile. "You couldn't have known. But there is a sad story there. Maybe I'll tell you one day."

There was a slightly awkward silence among the trio, before Pikachu started pulling on Misty's arm, gesturing to the car. Misty looked at where he was pointing, and then back to the two young trainers in front of her, before registering what he wanted.

"Do you two want a lift?" Misty offered. "I'm headed the same way as you, and I'm sure Gary won't mind."

"Err… Gary Oak?" Mellanie asked, turning slightly red.

"Yes, Gary." Misty said with a warning look. "I warn you, he's taken."

Mellanie turned bright red as Sam burst out laughing at her. "I knew you still had a crush on him!" the young boy shouted. "I knew it!"

"Sam, shut up!" Mellanie yelled.

Misty watched the argument develop with a sad smile on her face. It reminded her of when she was that age. When she was travelling around Kanto with Ash, arguing over anything and everything. It was a long time ago, yet still so prominent in her memory. As it started to get heated, she looked at Pikachu who was smirking, before he leaped off her shoulder, releasing a Thundershock at the argument. Misty laughed as the two fell to the ground, and looked slightly frazzled. Pikachu landed back on her shoulder, looking very pleased with himself.

"So how about it?" Misty asked again as the two regained their feet, casting wary glares at Pikachu. "I mean, if you're going the same way anyway, there isn't really much between here and there. You can have real beds again tonight at the Silver Conference."

It was the offer of the beds that did it, as Sam and Mellanie agreed, and headed back towards the car. Misty leading them was smiling as she thought about what they would say when they found out that she was to enter the league as well. She hoped she would get the chance to face one of them, she was sure that they were strong. They had to be to earn their badges so quickly.

* * *

Agent stood in front of Giovanni, Mewtwo at his side. The Genetic Pokémon hadn't attempted to resist once, although he had asked about where Cynthia was. Agent hadn't told him. Agent had glared at his captive and told him that if he mentioned Cynthia to Giovanni, she would be killed, leaving Mewtwo to puzzle over what was going on. And to make matters worse, he couldn't read Agent's mind like he could to every other living thing he had encountered. It was baffling, and infuriating.

"Congratulations Agent." Giovanni was saying. "The re-capture of Mewtwo is an achievement of considerable note. Are you aware of what happened to Cynthia?"

"She was nowhere to be found Sir." Agent replied levelly. "We found Mewtwo unconscious, and were able to begin to subdue him before he was fully able to resist. I would have liked to use Cynthia as bait, but I can only imagine that Mewtwo has hidden her somewhere."

Giovanni made a steeple with his fingers, before glaring at Mewtwo. The helmeted figure looked back, the mask hiding any expression on his face. "Intriguing. Have you Mewtwo?"

The Genetic Pokémon remained silent, until an electric charge suddenly surged through his body, causing his back to arc in pain.

"I asked a question Mewtwo, and I expect an answer. You haven't been gone for so long that you can forget that."

"_I have not hidden her." _Mewtwo answered, his mental tone managing to convey a degree of sullenness. "_I do not know where she is."_

"Very well." Giovanni said, uncaring. "Agent, is he ready for full operations?"

"I am unsure Sir." Agent said. "He has been very, complying so far, but I'm unsure how long that will last. However, in Cynthia's absence, the Sinnoh League is vulnerable. If we can get Mewtwo to fight for us, their Elite Four will be unable to stop us there."

"I am aware of that." Giovanni replied sharply. "Mewtwo, I doubt you wish to feel more pain. Assuming you don't, you will comply with every instruction given to you. I was the man who had you created and if I must, I will be the man to have you destroyed. I will not accept your escape again. If you attempt to deviate from any instruction, even slightly, you will be exterminated. And trust me, that armor you are wearing is more than capable of doing that. If you don't believe me, you're welcome to test our resolve."

Mewtwo glared at Giovanni, somehow conveying his fury through the helmet. "_I will not resist."_

"Prove it."

"_What?"_

_"_Prove that you won't resist." Giovanni said, his eyes glaring at Mewtwo. "Kneel to me, and I'll believe you."

"_Never."_

_"_Wrong answer." Giovanni growled. Mewtwo suddenly straightened up as the electricity flowing through him was ramped up several hundred volts. As it cut off, the Genetic Pokémon slumped, but remained standing. Agent stood in front of Mewtwo, holding a remote in his hand.

"It would be ever so rude not to follow through on your word. The world's most powerful Pokémon, going back on his word. Such a sad thing really. Perhaps you want to learn some manners?"

As he finished talking, Agent pushed a button on the remote, and Mewtwo growled in agony, as the charge flowing through him increased to beyond what it was before. After several seconds, Agent cut the power off once again and Mewtwo fell to all fours, panting heavily. After a long minute, Mewtwo slowly struggled to his feet.

"Now, are you going to be honest once again?" Agent said calmly. "I think we should run this again. Sir, may I?" Giovanni nodded. "Mewtwo, will you submit to Team Rocket?"

"_I… I will…" _the mental voice said, far weaker than before.

"Wonderful. This is far easier, I do so detest disagreements." Agent said. "Now, Mewtwo, won't you do what your new boss has requested? A simple kneeling, what could be wrong with that?"

"_I…"_

"Mewtwo, be reasonable. It would weigh against my conscience if I had to kill you so soon after capturing you."

Mewtwo looked around. He was all alone. The only man who could have saved him had no idea where he was. Mewtwo found himself wishing that he had never agreed to go with Cynthia. He should have taken the risk and taken shelter with Ash. And now he was going to pay the price with his pride. And so much more. If it was just his pride, Mewtwo could endure. But the thought of what Team Rocket would have him do… It hurt, but he had no choice. Mewtwo had to preserve himself, the instinct at the heart of every living creature. And he couldn't abandon Cynthia; he had already failed her by letting her get captured. Slowly, under the watching gazes of Giovanni and Agent, Mewtwo fell to his knees, his head bowing in submission as he surrendered to Team Rocket.


	17. Chapter 17

Misty and Gary watched Sam and Mellanie make their way towards them across the cafeteria. They had arrived late the previous night, and got checked into rooms, although the two youngsters still didn't know that Misty was competing. She had just said that she was there "for the tournament" not stating why. Gary had been happy to see the two of them when Misty had brought them back to the car, remembering with fondness the refreshing day he had spent with them at the training camp. Both Misty and Gary had found that the two youngsters had been different from the other trainers simply because they were more willing to learn. They had no illusions that they could learn and were both willing enough. It had definitely endeared them to the specialists who were teaching them.

"Morning." Gary said with a warm smile.

"Good Morning." Mellanie replied.

"Have you two registered for the League yet?" Gary continued. "You can do it at a Pokémon Centre if you haven't yet."

Sam shook his head. "We'll do it after breakfast."

Gary nodded and turned back to his cereal. He and Misty had offered to look after the youngsters who were clearly daunted by the size of the Johto League. Although, Gary himself was impressed with the level of organisation. With still nearly a week to go until the tournament actually started, it was clear that they were more than ready for it. Gary remembered the one time he had been asked to help out with the Indigo League. It had exhausted for him, constantly under time pressure. It made him smile, as Sam and Mellanie chatted away, oblivious to the organisation required to get a tournament running. If they were lucky, they would never know. They would never get sucked into the mind-numbingly dull work that had to be done. They could just compete.

After breakfast, the group of four had headed over to the nearest Pokémon Centre. Misty had gone in earlier to register, so didn't need to anymore. After Sam and Mellanie had done so, they headed out to a practice area to train. It became a daily routine over the next few days, Sam and Mellanie would train along with Misty, and Gary would give advice where required. They were unaware however, of how their training had attracted the interest of a certain pair of men.

"Impressive, wouldn't you say?" Lance asked Steven, as they watched the fast paced practice battle between Sam and Mellanie.

"Definitely. How long have they been trainers?"

"Less than a year. They were the last two that Professor Elm registered."

"What a legacy. Those two could go far here."

"I wonder where their Pokémon learned to be so responsive so fast." Lance mused.

"It's simple." A voice came from behind Lance and Steven. "Their Pokémon trained with mine for a day at the training camp some time ago. They learned from Pokémon that have been doing it for years."

Lance turned to see the Pokémon Master striding towards them. "May I ask why?" the Johto Champion asked.

"I saw that they had potential. I am merely helping them fulfil it."

"So what did your Pokémon teach them?"

"I'll show you later. I will be busy, but I can spare two Pokémon to teach."

Lance and Steven stared. The Pokémon Master never offered to teach anybody. His Pokémon were so powerful, and nobody was sure why. And yet there was a golden opportunity to get stronger being offered to them. They would have been foolish to refuse it.

"If you're offering." Steven said, recovering first. "But why?"

Under the shadow of the hat, Steven could have sworn he saw a slight smile cross 'Champions' face. "Neither of you have ever entered the World League. I want to know how you compare to Cynthia, and the other trainers. What better way to find out?"

As he finished talking, 'Champion' took two Pokéballs from his waist and tossed them towards Lance, who caught them instinctively. He then turned away, and strode out of the room, leaving the two men staring after him lost for words.

* * *

Ash stood in front of Alakazam and the rest of the scouts. They looked totally and utterly exhausted, as well they might. They had been hunting Team Rocket for far longer than any of their other missions. It had been four days since they had returned, having found the base, but Alakazam wasn't happy with the simple location. He took the team back, with Espeon tagging along to find out more about the base and the surrounding region. As soon as they had returned, Espeon had sent a single thought to Ash, insisting that he came to see them as soon as possible. The suggestion of haste was something that was very rare in Espeon, she was usually more laid-back. So Ash had left Charizard and Sceptile with Lance and Steven and come to see them.

"Alright. Tell me." Ash said calmly, although he could sense the agitation among the four Pokémon.

"_When we were there first time I sensed a very strong presence."_ Alakazam started. "_I was surprised, but had hoped it was down to exhaustion. Espeon has confirmed what I sensed though. Mewtwo is back with Team Rocket."_

Ash nodded, his calm image unbroken, although his mind had instantly started working.

"_It's worse."_ Espeon added. "_Last time he was weakened; he was controlled by the Rockets through weakening him. He seemed stronger this time. They have found an alternative way to ensure his compliance."_

"How strong?" Ash asked.

"_Not full strength." _Espeon said. "_Far from it. Yet still stronger."_

Ash nodded and then turned back to the scouts. "Anything else?"

"_The base itself is weak; we could break it assuming there are no traps. Yet there are other things that worried us." _Alakazam continued. "_We saw a man who left the base on foot, heading off into the surrounding area."_

"And? I presume you followed him?"

Alakazam looked embarrassed, something that Ash didn't miss.

"Alakazam, what happened?" the Pokémon Master pressed.

"_I think he knew we were there. I couldn't sense him, and when we pushed he stared at the exact spot we were hiding."_

Ash stayed silent for a moment, pondering, before he swung back to Espeon. "Tell me you could sense him."

The Sun Pokémon shook her head sadly. "_No. Although I did get his face."_

As the image of the man entered Ash's mind, he nodded. It was a face he had last seen standing over him, grinning gloatingly. The face of the torturer of Team Rocket. Agent.

"So Agent worked out where you were." Ash said his voice level. "So you didn't follow?"

_"No, we left him. We weren't sure what else he might be hiding." _Alakazam said. Ash nodded, before gesturing for the Psi Pokémon to continue. "_Otherwise, the base shouldn't be hard to deal with. We should be able to deal with Mewtwo, particularly if you show yourself to him. He would never attack you."_

Ash nodded thoughtfully. "Only one other question to answer then. Cynthia."

Alakazam and Espeon shared looks. "_We didn't find her. She isn't in the base."_

Ash nodded for the last time, before relaxing. "Get some rest. You've exceeded all expectations. I'm proud of all of you."

The scouts nodded gratefully, before Alakazam crossed his spoons and they vanished. Espeon padded towards Ash, and followed him as he turned and walked out of the room once again. He had just been given more work to do.

* * *

Lance stood in the center of the battlefield, looking at the Pokéballs in his hand. Steven stood next to him.

"Do you think this is wise?" Steven asked. "I mean, the tournament starts tomorrow, shouldn't we be resting our Pokémon?"

Lance didn't answer for a moment, still staring at the Pokéballs. He then looked up at Steven. "Do we have a choice? He's doing something we asked him to do as a favor; we can't not follow through with it."

Instead of waiting for an answer, Lance held up both Pokéballs and released the Pokémon inside. A large red dragon appeared with a roar, alongside a far more dignified green lizard. Both looked at the trainers in front of them before looking at each other. They had been warned that this might happen at some point, and were interested to work with the Pokémon of two powerful trainers.

Lance reached down to his belt, and grabbed one of his own Pokéballs, before throwing it. His trademark Dragonite appeared with a roar that caused Charizard to look at it disparagingly. Lance gestured for Steven to release on of his own Pokémon, so the Hoenn Champion released Metagross. Sceptile stepped forwards and gestured at the belts of the two men in front of him. The message was clear; he wanted them to release all their Pokémon. Lance and Steven were quick to acquiesce, and so released their remaining Pokémon whilst Charizard and Dragonite continued to glare at each other.

Soon lined up in front of the two 'teachers' were Lances Gyarados, Dragonair, Gyarados, Salamence, Kingdra and Dragonite. Steven's Skarmory, Aggron, Armaldo, Cradily, Claydol and Metagross added themselves to the queue. Sceptile stepped forwards and started talking to the assembled Pokémon.

"Sceptile, scep, Sceptile, tile, tile, Sceptile." Nods all around. More talking from the Forest Pokémon. Lance and Steven simply watched as the battlefield was soon converted into a training area. It was impressive to watch, as the two champions saw their Pokémon rapidly being pushed to their limits with dodging. After a few minutes, at another command from Sceptile, they stopped, and gathered around the Forest Pokémon to hear some more instructions.

"Do we just watch?" Steven said drily, which caused Lance to chuckle.

"_That is all you need to do" _came a voice speaking into both of their heads. "_Watch and observe. Your Pokémon are showing you how they want to dodge, you simply need to remember."_

Lance and Steven spun to see an Espeon stood behind then, having moved completely silently. Steven instinctively took a step back when he realized how close the Sun Pokémon had gotten, while Lance stood his ground.

"_Although, you should probably intervene with your Dragonite." _Espeon went on. "_He seems to want to challenge Charizard."_

"I'm guessing you are 'Champions' Espeon?" Steven asked, trying to recover from his reaction. Espeon nodded. "And you are here because?"

"_Because you weren't shown the same things that the youngsters were. 'Champion' is busy, but I am not, so I agreed that I would come and show you how to benefit from this. You asked how the children's Pokémon were so good at dodging; it isn't just down to the Pokémon. The trainers do a lot of it themselves. Observe the training and you'll soon work it out."_

Espeon stood up and arched her back, stepping away from the two men and heading towards the wall at the edge, where she curled up. Lance and Steven looked at each other, before turning back towards the training that was going on in front of them. Their Pokémon were really struggling to keep up with the attacks being directed towards them by their teachers who looked like they were really enjoying themselves.

"What did Espeon mean?" Lance asked.

Steven waved for him to be quiet, focusing on the training. Watching his Metagross dodge he began to realize what it was that Espeon meant. Metagross was instinctively trying to move to the right to dodge attacks, which Sceptile was trying to stop him doing. Only when Metagross was forced to dodge left did Steven realize how it wasn't particularly natural to him.

"Metagross, try going up" the Hoenn Champion called. Metagross was able to lift himself above the next Bullet Seed, before dodging to the right and then under another one. Steven smiled to himself; he was beginning to understand what Espeon meant. When he had watched Sam and Mellanie fighting, their Pokémon didn't always dodge. In fact, they tended to dodge the same way when possible, and if it was blocked they were far less likely to do so. This was what they had been shown; their Pokémon had a natural way to dodge and when they couldn't, they found a different way to avoid the attack. As he watched, Lance's Dragonite fired a Flamethrower attack to counter the attack that was going straight for him.

Eventually the two Pokémon stopped attacking, and started talking to the Pokémon in front of them. Espeon got up and strolled towards the whole group of Pokémon before sitting down in the middle. Her voice spoke out.

"_The next thing that you will be doing is working with your trainers. That means…"_

* * *

Sam and Mellanie stepped back into the Pokémon Center. They had been out together for the evening, whilst Misty and Gary had said that they were staying in. As they got crossed the foyer, Misty appeared to the side, before grabbing their arms.

"Come on, there are some people that you should meet" the youngest Waterflower said, half dragging them towards a side room. Sam and Mellanie looked at each other before allowing themselves to get dragged. As they stepped through the door, they saw a large group of people in front of them. A woman who looked somewhat like Misty, although with blonde hair, a man with black hair by her side were the first two that they saw. Then there was a beautiful woman with long red hair and a dignified expression, stood next to a man with blue hair a Pichu on his shoulder and a Meowth at his side, stood on two feet instead of the usual four. Then a man in a long white coat, talking to Gary, a woman with brown hair with them. A man with dark brown spikey hair was kneeling next to Pikachu, whilst chatting to a woman in a pink skirt and a black top, with blue hair. Alongside this pair was a man with wavy green hair and his arm around a brunette who had a headband wrapped around her head. At the back of the room was a teenager, younger than the others, who wore glasses whilst chatting to a woman with brown hair who bore a resemblance to the headband wearing girl. Next to her was a man who Sam recognized as a removed Gym leader, Norman Maple. As the two youngsters came in, all heads turned towards them, making them feel extremely self-conscious, but Misty was having none of it. She cleared her throat and called out "Everybody, this is Sam and Mellanie. They are two young trainers Gary and I met when we were at Cynthia's training camp."

As Misty finished she cast an apologetic look at Norman who grimaced, but didn't react. His wife who had tensed when Misty had been talking relaxed again. Sam and Mellanie tried to shrink back, but Misty pushed them forwards, before Gary stepped in.

"Misty, don't be mean to them. Think how you would feel shoved into a group of people like this."

Before Gary could say anything else, Pikachu had leapt into Mellanie's arms, where she caught the little Pokémon, petting him. The two of them had become firm friends as the weeks training had gone on, and Pikachu was trying to make the introduction slightly easier.

Gary smiled at the rodent, before turning back to the group. "Sam and Mellanie, allow me to make introductions. The man in the long coat is my grandfather, Professor Oak. Next to him is Delia Ketchum, the mother of an old friend of ours. The woman with the long hair is Jessie; you may know her better for the chain of fashion stores she owns." Sam looked blank whilst Mellanie nodded excitedly. "Next to her with the Pichu is James, and Meowth is clearly Meowth."

Sam and Mellanie looked confusedly at the Pokémon, before he opened his mouth and said "Don't be worried, this lot is all pretty good for ex-twerps."

"You can speak!" Mellanie blurted out, before reddening quickly.

Meowth nodded. "I can. I learned a long time ago. Same time I learned to stand on my hind-paws."

"Why did you want to change?" Sam asked.

An expression of sadness crossed Meowths face. "I'll tell you one day kid. Just not today."

"Anyway" Gary said, intervening. "Beyond them are Tracey Sketchit, and his girlfriend, Daisy Waterflower, one of the Cerulean City gym leaders, as well as Misty's oldest sister." Daisy and Tracey gave a wave. "And then the girl with blue hair is Dawn Hikari, with Drew, May and Brock." Each of the four gave a wave as their names were called, although Dawn also managed to fit in a glare at Gary for singling her out. "And finally, the three at the back are Max, Caroline and Norman Maple, the family of May." Gary took a deep breath before grinning down at the two youngsters. "These are all friends of ours. We've known each other for years. If you ever need any help, one of them will be willing to provide."

Sam and Mellanie had drawn closer to each other instinctively as they were faced with the sea of people that they didn't know. Suddenly a thought occurred to Sam. "Why are you all here? It's great to meet you all, but why? Do you come to every tournament?"

Misty and Gary looked at each other like they were trying not to laugh, before Misty took pity on the youngsters. "It's tradition for us to try to get together to watch one of us compete in a League or a Grand Festival. They are here to watch because one of us is competing."

Mellanie looked along the line of faces, before suddenly focusing on Misty and paling. Misty smiled warmly. "Correct Mellanie" the red-head said. "I'm in this."

Sam blanched. He was fairly sure that he wasn't going to win, but to go up against a trainer like Misty would end badly. He had no doubts about his skill, and he had been told that he had the potential to become a really strong trainer, but he was also under no illusions about his age. He hoped to become a successful trainer over time, but to go up against Misty… It didn't bode well. Mellanie was clearly having similar thoughts, before the teenager at the back of the room stepped forwards.

"It's alright guys." Max said. "Do your best, we'll all be cheering for you as well. Anyway, it's your first tournament?" Nods answered. "Then you don't know how well you have to do to do well. From what I've heard you'll be able to get a long way. Just be hopeful you don't meet a title contender early, and you'll be fine!" Sam smiled weakly, before following Max towards Norman and Caroline, tailed by Mellanie as the conversations around the room started up once again.

* * *

Finally Charizard and Sceptile had called an end to the training. Their focus had been on anticipating attacks to make dodging them easier and being in a position to hit back afterwards, as well as showing the trainers how to work best with their Pokémon. All of the 12 Pokémon learning had gained something, although Lance's Dragonite had remained permanently angry towards Charizard. Lance and Steven started to recall their Pokémon when a voice rang out across the training room.

"Leave Dragonite out."

Lance, about to recall his trademark Pokémon turned to see 'Champion' striding across the room towards him. As he reached Lance and Steven he held out his hand, and Lance wordlessly handed over the two Pokéballs belonging to the Pokémon Master. Espeon had gotten up from where she had been sat at the side of the room and padded over to her trainer, standing behind him.

"Dragonite isn't happy." 'Champion' said. "You should address it before you recall him."

Steven smiled to himself, before stepping away, as Lance turned back to his Pokémon. "Dragonite, what's wrong? You've been slightly off this entire training session."

Dragonite roared loudly, a sound that was mirrored by Charizard. Lance looked around to see the Flame Pokémon looking at Dragonite. Dragonite was glaring back. Lance whitened slightly as he realized what Dragonite wanted.

"Dragonite are you sure?" Lance asked. "I warn you, that Pokémon is stronger than any you've faced before."

"Don't be so sure Lance." 'Champions' voice caused Lance, Steven, Dragonite and even Charizard to look at him. "I believe Dragonite has faced up against Kyogre before. Charizard is powerful, but has not faced a legendary for a long time. I am unsure which would be the bigger threat."

"How on earth did you know that?" Lance asked incredulously.

"I just do" came the answer. "If you wish to have your Dragonite face Charizard you may. Charizard will fight without my guidance."

Lance turned to face his Pokémon whose look of eagerness was plastered over his face. Lance nodded, before taking his place at one end of the field. Dragonite took position in front of him, whilst 'Champion' wordlessly recalled Sceptile before standing at the other end, Espeon by his side.

"Dragonite, Thunder!" Lance called. The Dragon Pokémons antennae glowed yellow, before a bolt of electricity arced towards Charizard. Charizard simply flew over it, before firing a Flamethrower straight back at Dragonite.

"Dragonite, into the sky, and then use your own Flamethrower."

As Dragonite flew up, Charizard dropped back to the ground, and fired a stronger Flamethrower that quickly overpowered Dragonite's, although the Dragon Pokémon was able to twist out-of-the-way.

"Aqua Tail"

Dragonite flew at Charizard at high speed, his tail glowing blue, but Charizard simply held out his arms and caught the onrushing Pokémon. Before Lance could order another command, Charizards mouth opened and a huge torrent of fire came out. There was an explosion, and smoke filled the battlefield tinged with red and golden, although not enough to disguise the sound of a large body crashing into the ground. As the smoke cleared, Charizard was standing tall and proud, whilst a battered Dragonite was just getting to his feet, clearly utterly exhausted. He was about to take to the sky, before 'Champions' voice rang out once again.

"Enough. Dragonite, have the strength to admit you cannot win."

Dragonite looked over at the man, before nodding his head sagely, and settling down on the ground. Charizard leapt forwards, landing in front of his opponent, before holding out a claw. Dragonite stared at it for a moment, before touching it with a paw of his own. As the respectful formality ended, 'Champion' turned to Lance.

"That was an excellent attempt. It's been a while since any single Pokémon has forced Charizard to fight so powerfully. For Dragonite to fire a Hyper Beam at that range, whilst enduring a Fire Blast is impressive. Your Pokémon has won the approval of Charizard."

Lance recalled his Dragonite, before walking across the field to shake 'Champions' hand. As the contact ended, Lance started to talk.

"I wasn't expecting that. I had hoped that being in the air would be enough to overpower your Charizard with Aqua Tail."

"Usually it would. Charizard is exceptional. He hasn't lost a battle for more than five years."

Lance shook his head ruefully. "I can see why Cynthia couldn't make a mark on you. If Charizard is that good-by himself…"

Steven had joined the conversation by this point. "Don't worry Lance; I think I saw a slight scratch on Charizard by the end."

Lance looked at his laughing colleague, before looking over at Charizard who was now giving himself a full check trying to find aforementioned scratch. Unsuccessfully. The Flame Pokémon then glared at Steven, something that caused the Hoenn Champion to laugh even harder, joined by Lance. 'Champion looked on impassively, whilst Espeon behind him was trying not to laugh at Charizards antics.

"Don't worry Charizard, he was joking." 'Champion' said, before holding out a Pokéball and recalling his Pokémon. "I suggest that you get your Pokémon rested. They were put through a lot today. Charizard and Sceptile were impressed as well. Be proud, your Pokémon are all well-trained."

With that, 'Champion' turned and strode back out of the training room, Espeon behind him, to leave Steven still laughing with Lance.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the opening ceremony for the Silver Conference!" The announcer's voice echoed around the stadium. Assembled at the front were all the competitors, Sam, Mellanie and Misty among them. "This year, we have not only the head of our own Elite Four, but also the Hoenn Champion and the Pokémon Master in attendance! Ladies and Gentleman put your hands together for Lance Waturu, Steven Stone and the newest Pokémon Master, 'Champion'!"

As the three men stepped out onto a platform overlooking the stadium, thunderous applause echoed out the stadium, as the spectators gave the three men a standing ovation. Lance stood proud, his trademark cloak fanning around him a flaming torch in one hand, whilst Steven next to him was dressed in his usual formal attire, was waving to the crowd. Between them stood the Pokémon Master, tall and imposing and utterly motionless. After a couple of minutes, the applause started to die down and the announcer's voice rang out once more.

"As is traditional at the start of the Silver Conference, the Sacred Flame must be lit. Lance as the head of the region has had the honor of holding the torch up to this moment, and he will now pass it over to the winner of last year's Johto League. Ladies and Gentleman, please show your respect to Aaron as he lights the sacred flame!"

Applause rang out once more as Aaron stepped forwards from the crowd of trainers, to Lance. Lance took the torch and handed it to Aaron, who turned and strode towards the sacred flame. Standing in front of it for a moment, he turned and thrust the torch into the flame, which flared up. Aaron then turned and strode back into the crowd of trainers at the bottom of the steps, before Lance stepped forwards.

"Every year I stand her, in front of you all, as your leader and Champion." The Dragon Master began. "I am proud to do so. Over the last year, there has been change throughout the Pokémon League; a time of turmoil. Yet the Johto Region has come through it stronger than ever. The Gym Review has strengthened our region, and given us a secure base from which to build. The stagnation in the gym leaders had the potential to cause problems. This year has been the year that this has been changed. I now feel that there is a very strong grouping of Gym Leaders which makes the Johto League competitive once more. We now have a league of which we can be proud!"

As Lance said the last word, there was a roar of noise from the stadium. The words he were saying were designed to make the crowd happy, as well as to praise the guest of honour that he himself had invited; the Pokémon Master. 'Champion' for his part was stood watching the proceedings impassively.

"For this year's league, the format will remain the same; just there is an additional prize for the winner. Traditionally, the winner of any of the regional leagues has the right to challenge that region's Elite Four. This will remain true. However, he will be given an exhibition match as well, on the day of the award ceremony. His opponent will be the recently crowned Pokémon Master, known as 'Champion'. Many people may think that for 'Champion' to face a trainer immediately after the tournament is harsh on the trainer, but 'Champion' has also agreed to give the tournament winner instruction after the tournament. It will be a chance for the world to see how strong the winner is up against the best."

Lance's words caused a murmur throughout the stadium, both from the trainers and the spectators. Gary in particular was smiling, knowing that the promise of more training from 'Champion' would be enough to get Misty fighting at her absolute best.

"And now that the torch has been lighted, it is my great pleasure and privilege to open this year's Johto League Silver Conference, and to show the first match-ups!"

Behind Lance, the largest screen in Silver Stadium turned on, showing the groups that each of the trainers would be in. As one, the entire stadium leaned forwards, trying to find who was facing who. The big names were kept apart, with Aaron as the reigning Champion being the obvious favorite to advance from group one. Mellanie and Sam had been put into different groups, whilst Misty was put in group two. Her presence had caused a stir as people realized that she was competing; the youngest Waterflower had a reputation of being an excellent trainer and very tough to defeat. Lance stepped away from the platform, followed by Steven and 'Champion', leaving the stadium. Many of the trainers followed them as they headed to computers for any information on their opponents.

* * *

Sam stood on one side of the battlefield, looking out across at his opponent. It was a much older trainer he was facing, and the supposed favorite to progress through, as one of the top 48. Sam knew exactly what Pokémon he had to use, there was no choice. For his first ever championship match, even if it was a one-on-one battle, he had chosen his starter. He looked up at the board, which signaled that his opponent was to choose first. The older trainer enlarged a Pokéball, and threw it, causing a Staraptor to appear. Sam smiled; he knew he could win this. The two weeks in Indigo, coupled with the days instruction from the Pokémon Master had made him into a formidable trainer. He had studied videos of the man's battles, looking for anything in his strategies that could be copied. Along with Mellanie and Totodile, he and Quilava had trained to adapt the way that 'Champion' had tried to show. Quilava was capable of dodging attacks, but Sam knew his Pokémon. Quilava was an able dodger, but was far happier when he was on the front foot. Yet the trust that the Volcano Pokémon showed in his trainer was enough to make Sam know that if he felt that he needed to take a step back in a battle, Quilava would obey. The trust was absolute. Looking up, he threw his Pokéball, and his starter appeared, silent in contrast to the loud crowing that could be heard from Staraptor. Quilava looked towards Sam, a questioning look on his face, and Sam just nodded slightly.

"Staraptor, Wing Attack"

As the stadium watched, the Predator Pokémon screamed in towards Quilava, who simply flattened himself, before igniting the flames on his back. As Staraptor tried to arc away from them, Quilava spun with impressive speed and fired a Flamethrower at his opponent, sending Staraptor crashing to the ground. Shakily, the flying type rose into the air again, while Sam remained silent.

"He's a good trainer."

The Pokémon Master turned from where he was stood looking out across the stadium, to where Steven stood. The Hoenn Champion was stood in the entranceway of the box that his superior was watching from, as Quilava scored another solid hit on Staraptor, the Predator Pokémon taking a noticeably long time to rise from the blow.

"He is. What can I do for you Steven?"

"I need to talk to you about a trainer I have doing a job for me."

"Go on."

"He is an old Sinnoh League Champion, famous for his use of legendries in his tournament win. I have had him trying to find Cynthia."

The Pokémon Master looked at Steven, for the first time finally changing his attention from the battle that was still raging. "I would be guessing that this is the challenger that challenged for the Sinnoh title, before suddenly withdrawing the day of his battle because Cynthia wasn't there?" Steven nodded. "He then vanished. Has he had any luck finding her?"

"No." Steven said. "He's searched pretty much every region and had no luck. I was wondering if you knew where she was, so I could call him back."

'Champion' shook his head. "My own scouts have been looking. They have failed. You may call your man back; I doubt that he will be able to succeed, even with legendries."

Steven nodded, before looking back out to the field, where a clearly battered Staraptor was struggling to its feet once more. Quilava looked like he had barely even fought.

"That kid really is good." Steven commented, getting a nod from 'Champion'. "This is why you wanted to give him that extra training?" another nod. "So what you said in your initiation speech?"

"In my initiation speech I said that I would train the best trainers. Sam and Mellanie have the potential to be those. I gave them a boost, and this tournament will give them a reputation. I suspect that they will both be in the Victory Tournament at the end."

"But not winning?"

"No. There is only so much that good strategy can do for them. They aren't experienced enough. This tournament will show that as it goes on."

Out on the field Quilava spun into a Flame Wheel and into the air, crashing into Staraptor. The Predator Pokémon crashed to the ground, and this time didn't get up.

"The winner is Sam Fernandez!" came the announcer's voice. Sam just grinned at Quilava, who still looked like he had barely fought, before turning to face the crowd and wave to Mellanie.

'Champion' turned and strode out of the box past Steven, leaving the Hoenn trainer looking down on the stadium. The Quilava that he had watched was a fearsome Pokémon. Smiling to himself, Steven nodded. 'Champion' was right, this trainer would go far.

**A/N**

**Right. Another chapter, another bunch of things for me to write here. Firstly, this chapter. The big bit in the middle with the training between Charizard, Sceptile and Lance's and Steven's ****Pokémon. I am not happy with it. I've wanted to put in something like it for a while, but I just could not get it exactly like I wanted. It's been bugging me, and at some point I might come back and change it, but it's up now because I'm fed up of it.**

**The next thing, the complaints about Cynthia from the last chapter. Makes perfect sense, who tries to camp two miles from an enemy base without guards out? Firstly, Cynthia has no experience of fighting like that. The only 'military' operation that she has ever taken part in was the whole thing in Goldenrod and that was a completely different scenario. She would also only have 6 Pokémon and would need them to be fit. Mewtwo should also have been able to sense them coming, but there is a reason as to why he couldn't. As for Mewtwo's strength, yes, had Mewtwo been fully rested he would probably have been able to take on most of the base, but he wasn't. He hadn't slept in about three weeks. Puts a bit of a dampener on his strength. If you disagree then I'm sorry. With further respect to the strength of legendries, remember they are most definitely not unbeatable. Charizard single handedly defeated Articuno, and Ash's team took out Darkrai and Latias during the Sinnoh League. Yes Mewtwo is meant to be stronger, but the fact remains that legendries are not invulnerable.**

**Now, a couple questions once again.**

**Ipride21 – No, there will not be any Mega evolutions. And for all intents and purposes, I'm assuming that legendries are unique Pokémon. So no, there will only be 1 Mewtwo.**

**Moonstone blaze – No, the story isn't going to be finished with the end of Team Rocket. **

**Otherwise, the Rocket arc is going on hiatus as the Rockets aren't really in a position to be causing trouble, and Ash is otherwise occupied at the Johto League. With the league, I don't want this story to just become a succession of battles, so for the most part battles will not be shown in full during the League. There will be a few where I write the whole fight, but not many. Anyway, I think that's everything. Till next time.**


End file.
